Steele a Fantasy
by Felyndiira
Summary: Mildred has a fantasy involving Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt, and it will take a trip to Fantasy Island to give it a chance to come true. Rating has been increased to T due to mild sexual content
1. Chapter 1

Steele a Fantasy by Felyndiira

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Remington Steele (wish I did!) nor Fantasy Island. This blending of the two however is mine.

Dedication: This story is dedicated to the two reviewers of my first story, A Christmas Steele. Thank you to gilmoradict and sf. fangirl for their encouragement. I've been letting my imagination wander in search of another plot bunny to write for you two, and came up with this one.

Author Notes: A/U where Bonds of Steele and Season 5 never occurred

Mildred Krebs settled into her favorite chair in her living room along with the other members of the Dragon Ladies bowling team. After their regular practice, the team had returned to Mildred's apartment to help celebrate her birthday. It had become a tradition among the group. While they ate their cake and drank their coffee or tea, Mildred eyed the presents currently sitting on the coffee table. There was one large box, one small box, and an envelope. After everyone had finished their cake, the presents were opened. Esther had gotten Mildred a new bowling ball bag that coordinated with their bowling shirts and had a dragon on the side. Rose had gotten her a new blue bowling glove. Hazel handed her an envelope, with a small smile, saying, "I thought of you right away when I got this, Mildred."

Mildred opened the envelope to find a thick piece of vellum that unfolded to reveal the words, "My fantasy is to" followed by several lines that were obviously meant to be filled in. Mildred looked up at Hazel quizzically, "A fantasy?" Esther piped in, "Oh, Hazel, is that for that vacation spot you went to a couple of months ago?" Hazel nodded, "Remember I took that weekend away? Well, it's a place called "Fantasy Island" where your dreams can come true. I thought it silly when my son got it for me for my birthday, but thought what the heck? I filled in the card that I wanted to bowl a perfect game. A couple of weeks later I got an envelope in the mail with my travel plans, and I spent the weekend on a tropical island. I played in a bowling tournament there, and I bowled a perfect game in the last round to win!" Rose said, "You have improved your average several points since you went on that trip." Hazel nodded again, "I felt so good knowing what that felt like, my confidence has been through the roof ever since then! Anyway, when I was leaving, Mr. Roarke, he's the director, handed me this envelope and said if I knew of anyone who would like to experience a fantasy like I did, to give them the envelope. So I thought of you Mildred! I know you have a dream job at the Remington Steele Agency and all, but surely there is some fantasy you'd like to experience. They can do so much more than that, too!" Mildred looked back down at the envelope and said, "Like what?" Hazel came to stand next to Mildred's chair. "Well the weekend I was there, a young man wanted to know how his life would be different if he had asked his college sweetheart to marry him instead of taking a high-powered job in New York City. There was also a young woman whose husband had died suddenly, and she wanted one last weekend with him, one last chance to talk to him. When we got on the seaplane to come home, he was planning on finding her and trying to re-establish their relationship if she was available, and the young woman looked as if she was returning from a honeymoon, if you know what I mean..." The other two ladies snickered, but Mildred looked thoughtful. "Thank you, Hazel, I'll give this some serious thought. I'm sure the kids would get by without me for one weekend."

After her friends had left, Mildred stood in the kitchen finishing up the dishes, glancing over her shoulder at the piece of paper sitting on the kitchen table next to a pen. She had been all gung-ho to fill the paper out tonight when the girls left, but the more she thought about it, the harder she found it to pick something. *I used to dream of traveling, but now that I've done some of that working at the Agency, it's not that big of a deal anymore* There were things she regretted from her past, places she had dreamed of seeing when she was younger, but things had changed so much for her in the past 3 years since she started working at Remington Steele Investigations. Drying her hands on a towel, she sat the table looking at the envelope. *What if I hadn't gotten married to that loser? What if my ex had been faithful to me and we never got divorced? What if I hadn't left the IRS to come work with the kids? What if I had been able to have kids?* This last thought was one that still haunted her from time to time. She would have been a great mother, she'd like to think, maybe that was what her biggest fantasy was.

As she picked up the pen, the phone rang. Setting it down, she moved to answer the phone. It was Steele, reminding her to pick up some croissants on her way into the office as he and Ms. Holt had an early morning meeting with a client. "No worries, Boss, I know the perfect place on my way to work, I'll get a nice assortment for you." He thanked her and hung up. Moving back to the table, she thought about her Boss, Remington Steele, and his partner at the Agency, Laura Holt. Those two were so much more than employers or even friends to her. They felt like... her kids. She sighed, realizing that this was the closest to being a mother she would have in real life, but that it felt really good to have them. If only they'd... Her eyes widened and she picked up the pen and began to write before she changed her mind. Setting the pen down when she was finished, she re-read her answer.

_My fantasy is to** see Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt realize just how much they love each other and become a real couple.**_

Mildred folded up the paper and sealed it. Flipping it over, it was already stamped and had a post office box in Los Angeles as the designated address. She added the Agency's address in the upper left hand corner of the envelope. She would drop it into the mail the next day at the office. Tucking it into her purse, she went to prepare for bed.

**THREE WEEKS LATER:**

It was early on a Friday morning, and Mildred was sorting through the morning mail when she came across a thick envelope addressed to her from "Fantasy Island". She raised her eyebrows, having almost forgotten all about the envelope she had sent off after her birthday. She tucked the envelope into the drawer of her desk, and finished sorting the rest of the mail. At lunchtime, she tucked it into her purse and went off to read it while she ate. Opening the envelope she found a letter, and an airplane ticket for a weekend trip next weekend. Tucking the ticket back into the envelope she opened the letter.

_Dear Ms. Krebs,_

_Congratulations! Your fantasy is about to come true. Enclosed you will find your ticket to come visit us on Fantasy Island. To prepare for your trip, please do the following:_

_Make an appointment for Mr. Roarke with Mr. Steele for Monday morning, 10:30 AM._

_We will take it from there. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make your fantasy come true._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Roarke and the staff of Fantasy Island_

Mildred stared at the letter, disbelieving what she was reading. How could her taking an island vacation make the kids realize they truly loved each other? She shook her head, and put the letter into the envelope, and finished her lunch. When she returned to the office, she carefully wrote in Mr. Roarke at 10:30 AM on Monday. When Steele and Ms. Holt left for the afternoon, they stopped by the desk to wish her a good weekend and to check on the schedule for Monday. She told them each that a Mr. Roarke had called in asking for a meeting, and it sounded urgent so she had him set up for Monday morning at 10:30. They nodded and went on their way. Mildred looked down at the appointment book, and felt a little twinge at having lied to the kids. But if it made her fantasy come true, a little white lie would be worth it. She wondered exactly what events had been set in motion for them, and would it work?

**_To Be Continued_**


	2. Chapter 2

Mildred spent an anxious weekend at her apartment, looking forward to Monday morning almost as much as she was dreading it. She even called Rose to ask her more about Mr. Roarke. He sounded like quite a handsome man, with a foreign accent that women of all ages drool over. *Sounds a lot like the Boss* Mildred kept looking at her acceptance letter and the plane ticket, and tried to figure out what was going to happen next. Finally, she accepted that she just didn't have enough evidence to figure things out at this point, and tried to distract herself with books and television the rest of the weekend.

Monday morning, Mildred was the first one to arrive in the office. She got the coffee and tea started, picked up the mail and started organizing her day. When Ms. Holt came in at 8:00 sharp, she filled her cup of coffee and tucked herself into her office for a couple of hours tackling paperwork before the 10:30 am meeting. Steele breezed in about a quarter till 10, made himself a cup of tea and settled into his office with the newspaper. A very typical, normal Monday morning at Remington Steele Investigations. At 10:25am, it all changed.

Mildred was working a couple of skip-traces on the computer, and had her back to the door when it opened. She had been so focused on her work, she had lost track of the time. A glance at the clock told her who it had to be behind her, and she slowly swung her chair around to find a handsome middle-aged man dressed in a white suit standing in front of her desk. His hair was silver, with touches of gray at the temples, and it was highlighted by his dark skin. He bowed slightly and reached out a hand towards her, "Ms. Krebs, I am Mr. Roarke, from Fantasy Island. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last. I believe I have an appointment with Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt at 10:30?" His words rolled off his tongue with a strong Hispanic accent, and Mildred's first thought was *Rose was right, he is dreamy.* She reached out her hand, and he accepted it and placed a kiss on the back of it in a European fashion. She swallowed hard, "Yes, I'm Mildred Krebs. I'll let them know you've arrived, would you care for a cup of coffee or tea?" He shook his head, "No, thank you very much." He stepped back from the desk and began to admire the decor of the office. Mildred reached out towards the phone with a shaking hand, and buzzed Steele. "Boss, your 10:30 appointment is here to see you." Steele responded, "Send him in, Mildred, and let Ms. Holt know, would you?"

Mildred stood, "This way please," and walked towards Steele's door. She knocked a couple of times before opening the door, and allowing Mr. Roarke to enter ahead of her. "Mr. Steele, this is Mr. Roarke." As the two men shook hands, she closed the door behind her and knocked on the door to Ms. Holt's office, "Ms. Holt, Mr. Roarke is here for his 10:30 appointment and he's with Mr. Steele now." Laura nodded, "I'll just finish up this report real quick and go in, thank you Mildred." Mildred returned to her desk and started at the computer screen, her eyes darting to Steele's office, wondering what was going to happen behind that door, and how it could lead to her fantasy coming true.

Back in Steele's office, the two men shook hands, and Steele offered Mr. Roarke the chair in front of his desk as he settled in behind his desk. "So, Mr. Roarke, Ms. Krebs said you called on Friday with a problem you need our help with." Mr. Roarke nodded, "Yes, Mr. Steele. I run a rather unique business of fulfilling people's fantasies. Do you have any unfulfilled fantasies, Mr. Steele?" Steele's eyes wandered over to the connecting door to Laura's office and for just a moment, a look of longing filled his eyes before he got himself back under control. *Interesting* Mr. Roarke thought. "Everyone has daydreams and fantasies, Mr. Roarke, how can you possibly make them come true?" "Let us just say, a little island magic. I own a small island in the Pacific where I host a limited number of guests each weekend. We have excellent facilities, individual bungalows for all of the guests, swimming pools, hot springs, hiking trails, everything you could possibly want for a weekend tropical getaway. All of my guests come for one reason - they have a fantasy they want to see come true, even if only for a weekend. Sometimes it is the opportunity to do something they've only dreamed of doing, sometimes it's wanting a second chance at something from their past, to see what would have happened if they had taken a different path. The nature of their fantasies are as varied and diverse as my guests. However recently, someone has been deliberating sabotaging the fantasies of my guests."

Steele's eyebrows had steadily climbed during Mr. Roarke's explanation, but jumped up at this last statement, "Sabotaging? How?" Mr. Roarke got up and began to pace back and forth in front of Steele's desk, "Each of the fantasies are prepared well in advance of each guests' arrival, and I oversee everything personally. In the past month, there have been 4 instances of something going wrong with a fantasy. This happens on a very rare occassion, usually because something happens during the fantasy that I didn't anticipate during the preparation work." He paused as the connecting door opened, and Laura Holt entered the room. He smiled, and reached out a hand to her, "I am Mr. Roarke, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss..." "Laura Holt, Mr. Steele's associate." Laura introduced herself, and when Mr. Roarke bent to kiss the back of her hand, it struck Laura as very similar to when Mr. Steele had done the exact same thing during their very first case together. It sent a shiver of deja-vu through her, and she returned his smile brightly, trying to hide the effect he had on her. Steele noticed the bright smile, and frowned slightly. *Surely Ms. Holt isn't enchanted so quickly or so easily?* He stood, "Mr. Roarke was just starting to tell me about several incidents of sabotage that have occurred at the holiday resort he runs." Mr. Roarke nodded, "It is called, "Fantasy Island". It is an island I own off the coast of Hawaii. The service we provide to our guests, as I explained to Mr. Steele, is to help people to experience a fantasy, a dream unfulfilled in their lives, and hopefully having that opportunity will help to make their real lives happier. But someone is interfering with my work." He returns to his pacing, and both Steele and Laura stand in front of the desk listening. "First, a guest wanted to revisit her High School homecoming dance, where she was named the Homecoming Queen. The young man that she liked was named the Homecoming King, and she had a most lovely night. However when he asked her out again, she turned him down because she liked him so much. She wanted to know what would have happened if she had said yes instead of no. We started the fantasy the night of the homecoming dance, and another girl was named the Queen!" Laura and Steele looked at each other in confusion, obviously clueless about how exactly this "fantasy fullfillment" was being accomplished.

"That same weekend, a young man who dreamed of playing professional baseball game, wanting to experience Spring Training to see if he had a real chance to succeed. During the baseball game, he hurt his knee sliding into second base, and now will be out for a year after surgery, and may never get to play baseball again." His pacing picked up, "To have one of my guests physically hurt during a fantasy is almost unheard of on Fantasy Island. The first I could dismiss as something changing the parameters, refund the poor woman and apologize. But this second incident made me begin to question is there was something more going on. The next weekend, a young man wanted to drive in a car race, the Indianapolis 500. He didn't care if he won or not, he just wanted a chance to compete. He was involved in a serious crash, not injured, thank God, but definitely NOT what was supposed to happen! He was supposed to finish 3rd in a photo finish!" Mr. Roarke sat down in the chair in the seating area, and ran a hand through his hair, his level of upset increasing. "The last incident was last weekend when a young woman whose dream is to become a jockey wanted to run in the Kentucky Derby. Everything seemed to be going smoothly but as they rounded the last turn, her horse collided with another, and both horses and their riders went down. The horses both had to be put down and the other jockey was killed." He looked up at them, and the misery in his eyes was intense, "We occassionally have to simulate deaths in the process of fantasies, it's not pleasant, but when you're creating a story of life, death sometimes occurs. But to have one of my staff actually killed, it's practially impossible. I have no idea how this is happening, or who is behind it. My services are very exclusive, and I have no competition whatsoever. All of my guests are checked out thoroughly before they are brought to the island, and my staff are almost all natives to the island, and I trust them all completely."

He stood and walked back over to them, "I'm sorry, my throat is a bit dry, do you think I could have a cup of tea after all?" "Of course, of course," Steele said and moved around to the phone, "Mildred, please bring a cup of tea in for Mr. Roarke." Laura's forehead was creased in a frown. "I don't understand how you're able to make these amazing things happen for people on a small island in the Pacific. I mean, you can't possibly have a reproduction of Churchill Downs or the Indianapolis Speedway on your island!" Mr. Roarke smiled at her, as Steele walked back around the desk, and Mildred brought in the tea, "As I explained to Mr. Steele, it is a case of a little island magic. A proprietary secret, I'm sure you understand." He reached to take the tea that Mildred handed to him. As he turned back towards Steele and Laura, the cup slid off the saucer right into Steele's chest. Everyone looked shocked, and Mr. Roarke began to apologize. Steele waved it off, "Not a problem, not a problem, I have a change of clothes in the other room, please excuse me while I clean up, and Mildred, get Mr. Roarke a fresh cup of tea, would you?" Mildred and Steele both left the room, leaving Mr. Roarke and Laura alone. "So, Ms. Holt, do you have any unfulfilled fantasies?" Her gaze wandered to the bathroom door where Steele had just gone to change clothes, and an identical look of longing came into her eyes before they harded, and she turned back to face him, saying, "No, I'm quite well grounded in reality, Mr. Roarke. It's part of the nature of being a detective I guess." *Very interesting, Ms. Krebs' observations appear to be spot on* Mr. Roarke tilted sat back down and Mildred brought him a second cup of tea, taking away the cup and saucer from the first cup. As she bent in front of him, he gave her a smile and a slow wink, out of sight of Laura. Mildred smiled back, and returned to the lobby. *Did that mean things were going well?*

Steele returned in a fresh set of clothes, apologizing for taking so long, and asking what he missed. "Nothing, Mr. Steele, we waited for you to continue our conversation. If you have no competitors, and all of the fantasies are taking place on your island, then logically it must be someone on your staff or someone who has stowed away on your island, for lack of a better way of describing it." Steele nodded, "I think therefore we shall have to travel to your island to investigate this properly." Mr. Roarke nodded, "I can arrange for you to come on the flight this weekend. The flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii is Friday morning, and the final leg of the journey is by sea plane. However, I don't want word getting out that I've had to hire a private investigator, privacy and discretion is so important to my business." Laura nodded, "We understand, we'll go in undercover." She turned towards see, "Do you feel like being a Peppler again, Mr. Steele?" Steele nodded slowly, "Richard and Laura Peppler is a cover we used when posing as husband and wife on a case. But we'll also need a fantasy that we're to be there to fulfill so no one on your staff is suspicious." Mr. Roarke nodded, "Do you have any hobbies or shared interests I could use to build a fantasy around?" Laura said, "I play the piano and dance ballet, but just for enjoyment." Steele piped in, "I love classic films." Mr. Roarke nodded, "Well we could do individual fantasies, perhaps a chance to play at Carnegie Hall for Ms. Holt, and a chance to visit the filming of one of your favorite films, Mr. Steele." Laura's eyes lit up at the thought of playing Carnegie Hall, and Steele's eyes did the same at the thought of seeing one of his beloved films being made. "'The Big Sleep', Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Warner Brothers, 1946", he murmured. Mr. Roarke nodded. "I have basically shut the island down until this mystery is solved, so I don't see why we couldn't extend your stay beyond the weekend and allow you each to have your own individual fantasies, as well as a joint one. Perhaps a movie premiere you'd like to attend?" Laura and Steele both said, in unison, "Gone With The Wind", before looking at each other in surprise. Mr. Roarke chuckled, "Well, that didnt' take long at all, did it?" He glanced down at his watch, "I will need to go and make your travel arrangements, they'll be delivered here to the office by Wednesday at the latest and your flight to Hawaii will leave Friday morning. I believe this deposit will cover any initial expenses?" He reached into an interior pocket of his white coat, and pulled out a folded check which he handed to Steele. Steele opened it, eyes widening slightly before handing it to Laura. She glanced down to see a check for $25,000 made out to Remington Steele Investigations. She nodded, "More than sufficient." she managed around the lump in her throat. This could be one of the biggest cases the agency had every had. *If he researches potential guests, perhaps we could get in on that action by doing a good job...* Laura smiled at the idea of another steady contract that wouldn't involve shootings or running for their lives. Steele said, "Rest assured, Mr. Roarke, we will bring all the resources of Remington Steele Investigations to bear on this problem and resolve things as quickly as possible so you can return to business as usual." Mr. Roarke said, "Excellent," and reached out to shake Steele's hand, and again dipped to place a kiss on Laura's.

He moved into the lobby, and reached out to take Mildred's hand for another slight kiss, "Ms. Krebs, I'm so excited that you'll be visiting my lovely island, and helping Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt solve my problems. Would you do me the pleasure of joining me for an early lunch before I must head for home?" Mildred looked at Steele and Laura in confusion *Did he tell them I'm coming too?* Laura began, "Mildred normally stays here in the office to handle computer searches for us when we're in the field." Mr. Roarke turned around, with a look of confusion, "But Mr. Steele just said he would bring all of his resources, and surely that includes Ms. Krebs. I do so want a chance to show her my beautiful island." Mildred felt herself blushing as she could have sworn that he was flirting just a bit with her. Steele and Laura exchanged a look, "Well, I'm certain three sets of eyes will be better than two, and Mildred is a proven investigator in the field." Mildred smiled, as did Mr. Roarke. "Excellent. Now, can you spare her for lunch, while we discuss what kind of fantasy she'd like to experience at Fantasy Island?" The blush continued, and Laura said, "Of course. Have a nice lunch, Mildred." Mildred grabbed her purse, Mr. Roarke took her hand and tucked it in his arm, and escorted her out of the office.

Laura and Steele just started at the door for a few seconds after they left before turning to look at each other. Steele said, "So, what are your first impressions of our new client, Ms. Holt?" Laura tilted her head in thought, "Well, let's see, suave, debonaire, handsome, well-dressed, cultured, and a sexy accent with a hint of mystery about him. Remind you of anyone we know?" She asked with a lilt in her voice that Steele recognized as her way of teasing him. He simply raised an eyebrow and gave her his "Ha ha very funny" look (as Remington Steele wouldn't lower himself to actually say "Ha ha very funny"). Laura headed towards her office, "I'm going to start researching this Fantasy Island place. Laura settled into the chair in front of her computer, but rather than start typing, she found herself wandering to an image of her at a piano on the stage of Carnegie Hall. *Indulging in a little fantasy during a case - wouldn't be the first time.* Laura thought before sighing and getting to work, but with a smile on her face. Steele wandered back into his office, closing the door, and settling into his chair, he looked out the window. He was lost in thought, thinking about what it would be like to experience a day of filming of "The Big Sleep" in person. *Spending time with Laura in a tropical paradise dedicated to living out ones fantasies - who knows what other fantasies we might be able to explore*. Steele and Laura's thoughts wandered in the same direction, spending time together in a tropical paradise.


	3. Chapter 3

While Steele and Laura contemplated their upcoming fantasies, Mr. Roarke took Mildred to a quite posh restaurant just around the corner of the office building where Remington Steele Investigations had their offices. Mildred looked around a little confused, as she didn't remember eating here before today, in fact, she didn't even remember this restaurant being here before. They were seated immediately, and Mr. Roarke pulled out her chair like a true gentleman. As he took his seat, they began to scan the menu, and Mr. Roarke said, "Ms. Krebs, I must say that your fantasy may well be one of the greatest challenges I have ever undertaken. I would also say that your powers of observation are quite astute when it comes to your employers and their feelings for each other." Mildred blushed a little and said, "Well, when you're around them as much as I have been, and seen them in so many different situations, you learn to read these things. I think my experience as a fraud investigator comes in handy too, being able to read people and tell when they're trying to hide something." Mr. Roarke nodded, "Yes, they both appear to be very stubborn about making the first move in moving their relationship forward. Perhaps even trying to deny how they feel. Can you tell me, Ms. Krebs, about some of the cases they've worked on in the past, and times when you've observed them demonstrating their feelings for each other?" Mildred blushed again, and nodded, "I catch them kissing each other quite a bit in the office, I always forget to buzz and just walk in on them. There have been some really close calls they've had in the past, when one of their lives was endangered, and I think those close calls scare them into admitting their feelings, at least temporarily. Then once things calm down, the walls go back up." Mr. Roarke set his menu down, "Tell me about those times, please Ms. Krebs. I'm going to need your help to understand why they resist their feelings so hard, so I can find a way to help them overcome these walls of theirs."

The waiter returned, and they placed their orders. Mildred played with her napkin in her lap, and began to think back over the three years she had worked at the Agency. "Well, I first met them back when I was working for the IRS. We ended up down in Acapulco and I helped them solve a case involving some smugglers. Mr. Steele risked his life to save Ms. Holt from some pretty dangerous men. Just watching them interact with other, I could tell right away there was an attraction there. One of the first instances that confirmed that for me was right after I started working there, when Ms. Holt's house was blown up by some corporate hitmen. She lost everything except the clothes on her back, and even they had to be tossed out. She stayed with Mr. Steele for a few days until she found the loft where she lives now. Fred, the chauffeur who drives the Agency limo, saw the whole thing, and when the house blew up, Mr. Steele covered Ms. Holt with his own body to protect her. One of her most precious possessions was her grandmother's piano. Mr. Steele bought her a new one and had it delivered to the loft as a surprise. They seemed to be much closer after that. Later that same year, there was an incident when Ms. Holt was shot in the back, but wasn't hurt because she was wearing a bulletproof jacket. I wasn't there when it happened, but talking to our client who arrived right after it happened, he said that Mr. Steele was quite distraught, in tears even. Ms. Holt had apparently been knocked unconscious, and he thought she had been killed." Mr. Roarke nodded, and when their lunches arrived, encouraged her to continue while they ate. "Right after that, Mr. Steele was named one of the five most eligible bachelors in Los Angeles. I think Ms. Holt was quite jealous about the whole thing, because each bachelor was matched up with a cheerleader for photo opportunities. But someone was also trying to kill off the bachelors. Poor Mr. Steele ended up in bed with 2 broken legs, and it was hard to see him unable to take care of himself. She and I both helped get him back on his feet. Then they had to go undercover as performers at a circus, Ms. Holt loved it because she had always loved the circus and I guess Mr. Steele worked at a circus when he was younger, so they got to work on learning the trapeeze together in her loft. It was hard work, but they had fun together, you could see it. There is this man, Major Descoine, who really has it out for Mr. Steele. First he tried to frame him for murder, and then he tried to kill both Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt. They stopped him both times in close calls. Then we went to France and everything seemed to go wrong."

Mr. Roarke paused in his eating, "What do you mean, Ms. Krebs?" She looked thoughtful before continuing. "We were on the French Riveria, Ms. Holt was performing with a Stanford Alumni Glee Club touring Europe and Mr. Steele and I went along. Just like always a case sort of dropped into our laps, but afterwards, they seemed very distant for a number of months after that. Very professional, very focused on work, but the closeness I had observed between them before was gone. It wasn't until Mr. Steele got roughed up by a loan shark's goons that they seemed to start warming back up again. I'm pretty sure things were back on track then, because Mr. Steele actually staged a case to get Ms. Holt down to San Francisco for a romantic weekend! Of course, a real case got in the way of them - again, but Ms. Holt told me it was the most romantic gesture anyone had ever done for her! Then Mr. Steele left the Agency for four months. She and I began talking a lot more about then, girl to girl, since we were on our own. Things got very lonely without Mr. Steele around, and we ended up flying off to London to help Mr. Steele solve a case, and brought him home. He was hurt pretty badly, and it tore her up seeing him hurt. A few months later, we got involved in the Perrennial Insurance mess and someone tried to kill them both by setting bombs up at their front doors. Some poor kid got killed at Mr. Steele's apartment, but he managed to get over to Ms. Holt's in time to defuse the bomb and save her life. That was one of those near-misses that brings them closer together. Same thing at Christmas when we were all held hostage back at the office by 3 men dressed up in Santa suits, and when Ms. Holt was being stalked by her maintenance man, who tried to kill Mr. Steele and put him out of the picture. Not too long ago, while they were out of town, a couple was murdered in his apartment and we all thought it was them who had died. It took a few days to get straightened out, but once it got worked out, things were back to normal. Anyway, over the past three years, it's obvious to me how much they love each other, but neither one seems able to say the words, or take the first step. From what I know about their backgrounds, I think they find it hard to love others, or to accept the love of others, and that fear keeps them stuck where they are."

Mr. Roarke had finished his meal, and was sipping a glass of white wine, thinking about all that Mildred had told him. "I know you might not feel comfortable telling me this, Ms. Krebs, but what about their pasts leads you to that conclusion?" Mildred looked away, and then back to look Mr. Roarke in the eye. "It's strange, I just met you today, and yet I feel so comfortable talking to you about these things. Well, let's start with Ms. Holt. Her father walked out on her family when she was a teenager, and she was very much a daddy's girl. She and her mother are usually at odds. She and her sister used to be very competitive - Ms. Holt is a working single woman, and Frances is a happily married woman with 3 kids. Although since Frances has moved out here to California, I think she and her sister have gotten closer. Before I met her, I know she was seriously involved with someone, but he left her and it broke her heart. She's very protective of herself now. The only emotions she seems to express easily is anger or frustration - and usually that's with Mr. Steele." She smiled slightly, before turning serious again. "Mr. Steele was orphaned as a very small child in Ireland, shuttled around foster homes, and then struck out on his own as a young boy, living on the streets of London for a number of years. Eventually he found a... benefactor, who took him off the streets, got him an education, and turned him into the gentlemen you see now as Remington Steele." Mildred teared up, as she normally did when she thought of Steele's sad, lonely childhood. "I think he has never truly been loved or loved someone and doesn't know what to do about it. He moved around a lot, never stayed in one place very long, didn't form attachments, until he came to Los Angeles and met Ms. Holt. I think that case at the Sensitivity Spa helped them both open their eyes to these issues they have, but didn't help them to move forward in dealing with them. Ms. Holt and I had a long talk after they came back from the spa. I'd like to think she feels she can talk to me like a mother, since she can't find common ground with her own mother. Mr. Steele doesn't talk much, but he shows his feelings through actions, and Ms. Holt is someone who needs to talk things out, discuss things, hear the words. So she wants to hear the words, and he can't say them. Until they get past that, they'll be stuck." Mildred took a long drink from her water glass before continuing in a whisper, "I love those two like they were my own kids, but I can't think of a way to help them through this. That's why when Rose gave me the envelope from Fantasy Island, I thought this would be the best way to use it." Mr. Roarke asked, "And if you did use it for yourself, what dream do you have, Ms. Krebs?" Without thinking, Mildred said, "I wish I was a real investigator like the kids so I could be more useful to them."

Mr. Roarke stared at Mildred for a moment before smiling brightly at her, "Ms. Krebs, you are definitely quite the observant person, and very wise. What you've told me fits very closely what I observed in just the 30 minutes or so I was with them. The spirit often speaks through the eyes when the mouth will not. But I do have one more question for you. You obviously love them very much, yet you call them Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt, not Remington and Laura, why is that?" Mildred smiled, "Well, I usually call Mr. Steele 'Boss' or 'Chief' or something like that. He's my boss, my employer, and it would just feel strange to call him Remington. As for Ms. Holt, I sometimes call her Laura, when it's just the two of us talking. But in front other people, I keep it professional I guess." Accepting her answer with a nod, Mr. Roarke signaled the waiter who brought the check. Mr. Roarke walked Mildred back to the front door of the office building. "Now Ms. Krebs, make sure you bring your tickets from home to the office Wednesday. When the envelope from Fantasy Island arrives, add yours to theirs so it appears all three trips were arranged at the same time. I look forward to seeing you and your employers at my home on Friday." He bowed over her hand once more, and as he rose up he asked softly, "Ms. Krebs, might I call you Mildred?" She nodded, and he smiled again, "Mildred, you will play a key role in making your fantasy come true, and I look forward so much to working with you. Until Friday." He walked off down the sidewalk. She stood there watching until he was out of sight. She then turned and walked briskly back to the restaurant where they had just eaten. She stopped in surprise at the large "FOR LEASE" sign in the window with a phone number for a local real estate agent. Looking through the window she could see everything was covered in drop cloths and obviously hadn't been used less than 15 minutes earlier to serve her lunch. An odd tingling sensation started at the back of her neck. As she walked back towards the office, she pondered how Mr. Roarke pulled that off. *I suppose for someone to make fantasies come true, a little magic is necessary, but creating a restaurant from thin air that disappears when you leave? That's impossible, isn't it?* It was a very confused Mildred that returned to the office, and she got back to work on her skip-traces, wanting to make sure as much of the current workload was completed before they left for Friday for their Fantasy Island adventures.


	4. Chapter 4

(NOTE: I made one minor edit to Chapter 3 on 5/14/09, so if you have already been reading, please go back and re-read it before continuing. I forgot a plot element.)

**_Wednesday, Los Angeles_**

Mildred got into the office half an hour early, eager for the morning mail to arrive. She hadn't slept well the previous night in her excitement after talking to Rose about more details about her trip to Fantasy Island. The climate was perfect, the bungalows comfortable and clean, the staff hospitable, and their host, Mr. Roarke, mysterious. Rose told her that none of the pictures she took with her own camera turned out, but she had a picture someone took of her with her trophy and her perfect scorecard in a frame that she brought home. When Rose had said that "it was the most magical weekend of my life" that tingling sensation started on the back of Mildred's neck again. She spent hours staring at her plane tickets for her fast-approaching weekend at Fantasy Island. After tossing and turning most of the night, she decided to come in early and get some work done before the mail arrived. Before she left her apartment, she made sure she tucked her plane tickets into her purse, ready to slip them into the envelope before showing them to Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt.

When the mail came at 9 am, she flipped through it quickly looking for the envelope from Fantasy Island. She found it and set all of the rest of the mail aside to open it. Inside were several smaller envelopes. One was addressed to "Remington Steele", one was addressed to "Laura Holt", one was addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. Peppler", and one was addressed to "Mildred Krebs". The final envelope was labeled "Travel Documents". She opened this one, and found plane tickets for Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt for a week's stay on Fantasy Island. *A WEEK? How will I slip my ticket for only a weekend in if they're staying for a week?"* She pulled her ticket out of her purse and opened it up, and stared in awe, as her ticket now matched those of Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt. She knew that it has been a weekend trip, after staring at the ticket for so many hours the previous know, she was absolutely sure of it. *Island magic again?* She shook her head, and slipped her tickets into the envelope with the other two, then put all of the tickets back in the main envelope until Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt arrived. They had a stakeout the previous night and weren't expected in until after 10 am. She began working on sorting through the rest of the mail in the meantime.

Promptly at 10 am, Laura Holt walked into the office briskly nodding at Mildred before heading to the kitchenette to get a cup of coffee. Coming back to the lobby she asked, "So did our envelope come from Fantasy Island today?" Mildred nodded, and pulled the envelope out, "Our travel documents are all in order for a week's stay for all three of us. There are envelopes for you, the Boss, a Mr. and Mrs. Peppler, and me." Laura nodded, "Yes, Mr. Roarke is arranging individual fantasies for us as well as an undercover one for the Pepplers. Let me see that one first." Mildred sorted through the envelopes, and was handing the Peppler one to Laura when Mr. Steele walked in the door with his normal, "Morning, morning morning!"

Laura began to open the envelope, "Mr. Roarke got all of our documents here on time as promised. I was just about to read the envelope for the Pepplers." Steele nodded, "Ah yes, bringing Bob and Judy out of retirement, are we? Maybe we could use Laura and Richard for first names instead, it's so hard to remember to call you Judy." Mildred chimed in, "Maybe you should use Raymond instead of Richard, Boss." Steele looked at Mildred quizically, "Raymond? Why Raymond?" Mildred looked up, "Why not Raymond? Everybody Loves Raymond..." Steele tilted his head in thought, "Raymond Peppler? Richard Peppler? Robert Peppler?" Then shook his head, "No I think Richard will be fine." Laura chuckled, I have no problem with Laura and Richard Peppler if you'd like." Her attention turned to the letter.

_Dear Mr. and Mrs. Peppler,_

_Congratulations! Your fantasy is about to come true. Enclosed you will find your tickets to come visit us on Fantasy Island. All of the arrangements are being made for you to attend the World Premiere of "Gone With the Wind"__. Appropriate attire for the event itself will be provided, so prepare for an island holiday._

_Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make your fantasy come true._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Roarke and the staff of Fantasy Island_

Mildred held out two of the other envelopes, "Here are the ones addressed to you individually."

Laura got hers opened first and read aloud:

_Dear Ms. Holt,_

_Congratulations! Your fantasy is about to come true. Enclosed you will find your tickets to come visit us on Fantasy Island. All of the arrangements are being made for you to provide an evening of entertainment at Carnegie Hall__. To prepare for your trip, please do the following:_

_Prepare three songs to perform during your performance, and bring along the names of the pieces you select, along with appropriate attire if you wish. Sheet music and attire can be provided at the island if necessary._

_We will take it from there. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make your fantasy come true._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Roarke and the staff of Fantasy Island_

Meanwhile, Steele had gotten his envelope open, and read his aloud:

_Dear Mr. Steele,_

_Congratulations! Your fantasy is about to come true. Enclosed you will find your tickets to come visit us on Fantasy Island. All of the arrangements are being made for you to enjoy a day on the set of "The Big Sleep"__. To prepare for your trip, please do the following:_

_Determine your favorite scene(s) from the movie and have these ready when you arrive._

_We will take it from there. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make your fantasy come true._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Roarke and the staff of Fantasy Island_

Laura shook her head, "I don't understand how it's possible for these things to really happen when you're on a tropical island paradise. Mildred, what's that other envelope?" Mildred glanced down, and saw the envelope with her name on it lying on the desk. *Oh no, I can't let them see that, if it says my fantasy is for them to get together*. Mildred picked it up and slowly opened it, and kept the text out of view so she could make something up, but instead saw a different letter than the one she left at home. She slowly began to read hers outloud:

_Dear Ms. Krebs,_

_Congratulations! Your fantasy is about to come true. Enclosed you will find your tickets to come visit us on Fantasy Island. All of the arrangements are being made for you to enjoy a week in the life of a private investigator__. _

_Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make your fantasy come true._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Roarke and the staff of Fantasy Island_

Laura and Steele looked at each other, and then back at Mildred. "Mildred, your fantasy is to live the life of a private investigator? Don't you already do that now working here with us?" Laura sounded confused as she asked the question. Mildred nodded slowly, "Well, yes, I know I do help out on cases, but it's not like I'm a real licensed private investigator like you two are, you know. Remember when I tried to handle things on my own, with Doolittle, what a mess that turned out to be?" Steele chuckled, "Mildred, all our cases seem to end up turning into one kind of a mess or another." Laura was frowning though, "Mildred, I didn't know it bothered you not to have a license of your own. We should start the paperwork so you can get one". "Really?" Mildred seemed surprised at the suggestion. Laura turned to look at Steele who nodded decisively, "Of course, Mildred, you're as much a working part of this Agency as Laura or I, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't have your own license." Mildred beamed up at them both, obviously very excited and proud that the kids thought she was good enough to get a licencse. Laura reached for the travel envelope, "So when do we leave?" Leafing through the documents she continued, "We leave from LAX at 9 am Friday morning for Honolulu, then we'll have a connecting flight to a smaller airport where we will picked up by a seaplane to take us to the island. We should arrive just in time for dinner. Shall we meet here at the office at say, 6 am, and have Fred take us and our luggage to the airport?" Steele frowned at the early hour, but Mildred nodded, "That's fine with me, Ms. Holt, the flight to Honolulu is probably about 6 hours so we can catch some z's then." Steele sighed and agreed. Laura nodded, "Now that that is settled, what else is on our agenda for the rest of the week, Mildred, if the Agency is going to be closed down for a week, we have a lot to get done and arrangements to make."

**_Wednesday, Fantasy Island_**

Mr. Roarke sat at the desk in his office in the Main House pouring over papers, making notes here and there, when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!" he called as he set down his pen. His loyal assistant, Tattoo, opened the door and walked in, "Boss, the last of our guests will be leaving on the plane in an hour. Are we really shutting down the Island for a whole two weeks?" Mr. Roarke nodded, "We need to do maintenance and cleaning on the bungalows among other things, and the staff works so hard all year long. I think having the island mostly to ourselves for a week or two will allow us to get caught up and take a break as well. I've scheduled work shifts and vacation time for the entire staff on a rotating basis. I've already re-scheduled everyone who was due to arrive during the next two weeks except for three guests who will arrive on Friday for a week's stay. I'm going to have the southwest part of the island prepared for them. They'll have everything they need to enjoy their fantasies without our work on the rest of the island disturbing them in any way. "

Tattoo frowned, "I don't understand, Boss, why are you allowing guests to come when you wanted to shut everything down?" Mr. Roarke looked out the window, deep in thought, before responding. "These are three very special guests, my friend, and probably one of the most difficult fantasies I've ever attempted to grant. They will require my undivided attention during their stay. Therefore, I needed to ensure there were no other guests on the island so I can focus on their needs. So, I will be leaving you in charge of the rest of the island, while I remain on the southwest part of the island with them. I've written out the work and vacation schedules, and you may pick from the staff some assistants to help you monitor everything. After this week, I'll need a week of rest myself to recover before we start regular operations again." Tattoo's eyebrows shot up at this revelation. "Boss, what kind of fantasies do these guests have?" Mr. Roarke shook his head, "I'll fill you in on Friday when they arrive. Right now, I need to complete my preparations. I'll see you down at the dock in an hour to bid our last guests farewell." He picked up his pen, and went back to work on his papers. Tattoo frowned, and then left the room.

Mr. Roarke raised his head to watch his friend leave the room, and sighed. He knew the island would be in good hands with Tattoo in charge, as he loved the island and its people as much as he did himself. He simply hadn't figured out any other plan for making Mildred's fantasy come true. It would truly be one of the most complicated fantasies he'd ever created, and although it would certainly cause some heartache along with the way, he felt confident that once they reached the other side, Remington Steele and Laura Holt would be able to overcome the barriers that prevented them from declaring their obvious love for each other. His plan of having both individual fantasies and a joint fantasy would allow him to postpone the more complicated parts of the fantasy until later in the week, allowing extra time for preparation. Running fantasies within fantasies was always draining. He had just about completed crafting how the three sub-fantasies would fit into the cover story he had provided to Steele and Laura to bring them to the island. If he could pull this off, it would be perhaps the masterpiece of his lifetime. A Masterpiece created by the Master of Fantasy Island. He returned to working on his papers, there was still much to do before Friday.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Friday, Los Angeles_**

It had been a very busy week for Mildred, Laura, and Steele as they prepared for their trip to Fantasy Island, as well as closing down the Agency for a week. Mildred packed all of the clothes she bought in Acapulco along with several of her favorite detective novels. She didn't know if the second letter meant she was actually going to get a second fantasy or not, but she wanted to play along with the act that being a detective was her only fantasy. Laura spent every evening practicing the pieces of music she wanted to perform at her concert, and found an elegant black dress that was perfect for the occassion. Steele watched "The Big Sleep" over and over again in the evenings, trying to decide which scenes would be the most entertaining to watch being filmed. The thought of being able to SEE Bogart in person was just too much to believe. All three of them were so immersed in their individual fantasies, they gave little thought to the case involved.

Early Friday morning found all three of them waiting down in the parking garage with their luggage waiting for Fred to arrive. Steele, not being much of a morning person, was leaning against one of the support pillars and trying desperately to stay awake. Laura was excited with the thrill of a new case and her chance to perform at such a prestigious hall. Mildred was both excited and a bit nervous. It hadn't occurred to her how Steele and Ms. Holt might feel about her setting them up like this. On one hand, she thought they'd appreciate the help getting past whatever was holding them back, but they were both very independent people and might resent the interference, even if it was done with the best of intentions and lots of love. Before long, Fred arrived, and he and Steele loaded the luggage into the trunk while the ladies settled into the back of the limo. Fred got them to the airport in excellent time, and they had plenty of time before their flight to have a quick breakfast before boarding their plane. All three of them dozed during the flight to Hawaii.

**_Friday, Fantasy Island_**

Mr. Roarke sat in his office with Tattoo reviewing the last-minute preparations for their new guests, and the plans for the rest of the staff during the two week working vacation. Tattoo thought his boss looked kind of tired, and knew he had been working long into the night making his preparations for these guests. What made them so special, he didn't know, but he would help his friend as much as he could. Hopefully once this was done, he would also have a chance to rest. He knew they would be arriving later that afternoon. Mr. Roarke looked at the next item on his checklist, "Tattoo, have the bungalows all been prepared per my instructions?" The small man nodded, "Yes Boss, all 5 bungalows have been cleaned and set up just as you asked. Are you sure you don't want any of the staff to assist you?" Mr. Roarke shook his head, "No, my friend, the less people in the area, the less complicated it will be for me to work the fantasy. If I need any assistance, I will call you here at the main house from my bungalow, and make whatever arrangements are needed. Everyone has their job and vacation assignments, and will use the northern dock to leave and return to the island?" Tattoo nodded again - everything possible had been done to keep everyone away from the southwest corner of the island that Mr. Roarke would be using for this fantasy. "All of the costumes you requested have already been delivered to the bungalows, and the pantry is stocked with more than enough food for 4 people for a week." Mr. Roarke nodded, and marked a couple more items off of his checklist. He then packed up the papers on his desk and put them in a briefcase. He locked it, and pocketed the key. "Make sure this is put in the car we use to pick up our guests at the southern dock so I'll have it with me. I believe I have everything memorized, but just in case." He then stood and stretched. "I am going to go lay down, please wake me an hour before the plane arrives, my friend." He moved out of the room, Tattoo following behind him. He had never seen his Boss work so hard for just one fantasy. He couldn't wait to hear the story of this one.

**_Friday, Honolulu_**

When their plane arrived in Hawaii, they had a connecting flight leaving from the same airport in just 30 minutes. They had time to grab sandwiches in the airport to take on the flight, and found they were the only passengers on the small plane. It was a short flight to the seaside airport where a seaplane was parked at the end of a short dock waiting for them. A young man in a white suit was waiting for them when their plane landed. "Mr. and Mrs. Peppler, Ms. Krebs, welcome to Hawaii. Your flight to Fantasy Island will be leaving in approximately an hour, we are refueling the plane at this time. If you'd like to make yourself comfortable in the lounge, I will ensure your luggage is transferred over to the plane, and will fetch you when it is time to leave." Steele nodded, and lead the way to the small but comfortable lounge. Steele turned to Laura, "So Laura, which pieces have you picked for your performance?" She smiled up at him, "Well, you'll just have to wait and see. If you'd like, I'll see if Mr. Roarke can arrange for you to be in the audience, you too, Mildred. It wouldn't be as much fun to perform without you both there." Laura then bit her lip, obviously feeling she might have said too much. Both Mildred and Steele smiled and Mildred said, "I'd love to hear you play, Ms. Holt." Steele nodded, "I would as well." Laura smiled, happy that they both would like to come. They continued the small talk until the young man came to the door, "We are ready to leave, if you'll please follow me?" Steele swept his arm, allowing Mildred and Laura to go ahead of him, "Are you ready for your fantasies to come true, Mrs. Peppler?" he said suggestively. Laura turned to him with a smirk, "Rest assured, Mr. Peppler, I'm more than ready." Steele was surprised by the slightly suggestive response, and just grinned as he followed the ladies to the plane. He certainly had some of his own fantasies involving Laura that he wouldn't mind coming true in this island paradise.

They settled into their seats, and the young man moved up to the cockpit. Before long, they were headed out to sea to take off. They were flying along over the ocean, not a speck of land in sight, when a white fog began to envelope the plane. This alarmed all three of them, as you couldn't see a thing out the windows at all. Steele was about to move forward to ask the pilot what was going on, when the fog lifted as quickly as it came. Below them, just a short distance ahead, there was now a large island visible. The three of them exchanged glances, they hadn't been in the fog that long, and there was no island visible before, certainly not one as large as this was. The plane flew low over the ground, giving them an amazing view of the island below them. A series of magnificent waterfalls drew an "oooohhh" from Mildred, while Laura admired the bungalows sitting in small clearings in the jungle. Steele couldn't help but enjoy the view of several young men and women in their swimsuits, enjoying water play in a lagoon, several of whom stopped to wave up at the plane as it passed over them. The plane circled the island and came down to land gently in the sea, before coasting into a small lagoon where a dock was visible for disembarking the plane.

Their trip to Fantasy Island was about to begin.


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: The previous chapter was a short one, I hope this one makes up for it as I set the stage for the Fantasies to begin._

Mr. Roarke and Tattoo climbed out of the red car in the clearing at the end of the dock. "Just park the car over there, Miguel, I'll drive our guests to their bungalows myself." The driver nodded and drove the car farther down the road before stopping and walking the rest of the way. Mr. Roarke looked more rested and excited about the upcoming fantasy. Tattoo felt the weight of being responsible for the rest of the island for the week starting to weigh down on his shoulders. "So, who are these mysterious guests, Boss?"

On the seaplane docked at the end of the dock, the pilot helped an older woman disembark, and she began to walk down the dock onto the path, which was lined with young women in native dress. A couple of them put leis around her neck, and a young man at the end of the path held out a tray with a tropical drink on it, and directed her to move to her right. She did, and took a sip of her drink. Mr. Roarke smiled and began to speak to his companion. "That, Tattoo, is Ms. Mildred Krebs of Los Angeles, California. She works as a receptionist and assistant at Remington Steele Investigations, a very prestigious private investigations firm in Los Angeles." Tattoo asked, "And what is her fantasy, Boss?" Mr. Roarke looked down at Tattoo, "Ms. Krebs wants her employers, Remington Steele and Laura Holt, to recognize their feelings for each other and become a couple." Tattoo looked surprised, "But Boss, you've always said that even the magic of Fantasy Island can't make people fall in love." Mr. Roarke chuckled, "No, Tattoo, it can't make them fall in love, but you see, Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt already love each other, they're just too stubborn or afraid to admit it, to themselves or each other. They need a nudge in the right direction, and that is something that we can provide them. That is her primary fantasy." Tattoo looked even more surprised, "She has more than one fantasy?" Mr. Roarke nodded, "Yes, Ms. Krebs would also like to be recognized as more than just a secretary, but as a real investigator in the firm. She's been very helpful in several of their cases, but she doesn't have her license and isn't recognized as an investigator."

Tattoo's eyes widened, "So she is going to have TWO fantasies fullfilled in a week?" *No wonder the Boss has been working so hard!* Mr. Roarke nodded, "Yes, if all goes according to my plan, she will."

As they were talking, the pilot helped a young couple disembark from the plane. A dark-haired good looking man walked down the dock and path next to a long-haired brunette. They each stopped along the path to get their leis and picked up drinks at the end of the path before being directed to their left. They stood closely, the woman looking over the people in the clearing with a serious expression, while the gentleman appeared to enjoy the view for more leisurely reasons. Mr. Roarke took a deep breath and began to speak before Tattoo could ask about the couple. "As far as our staff is concerned, that couple is Mr. and Mrs. Peppler from Los Angeles, California. They are here to attend the World Premiere of "Gone With The Wind", one of their favorite movies." Tattoo looked confused, "But that isn't their fantasy?" Mr. Roarke shook his head, "Not their only fantasy, no. She wishes to perform the piano at Carnegie Hall, and he wishes to spend a day watching the filming of his favorite movie. But that is still not all, my friend." Tattoo looked up at him, "No?" Mr. Roarke shook his head, "No, they are actually Remington Steele and Laura Holt from the Remington Steele Agency. They are the ones that Ms. Krebs wants to help. So they are here to fullfill Ms. Krebs' fantasy. To get them here, we had to create a fake case for them to come here to investigate. The roles of the Pepplers coming to see "Gone With The Wind" is their intended cover. I offered to give them each their own fantasies as individuals as well. So these 3 people have a total of 5 fantasies that I will try to make come true over the next week, and they are closing tied together for obvious reasons." Tattoo nodded, the complexity of the situation becoming clear to him. Mr. Roarke was offered a drink by the bartender, and he took up a glass of champagne.

"My friends, welcome to Fantasy Island!" He raised his flute in toast, and Mildred, Steele, and Laura did the same. Behind them, their luggage was being unloaded from the plane onto a cart, which took it over to the waiting jeep-like car. The three of them finished their drinks and walked up to Mr. Roarke. Laura spoke, "Mr. Roarke, your island is even more beautiful than I imagined, the views as we flew over were just incredible." Steele nodded, "Quite the island paradise you have here." Mildred also nodded in agreement, but kept quite. Her nerves had been building every step of the way on their journey and were about ready to burst. "Thank you all. This is my associate, Tattoo. He is my right-hand man you could say. He and I are the only two on the island who know your true purpose here. If you'll follow me to the car, I'll drive you to the bungalows where you'll be staying. Tattoo, I'll see you later." He nodded to his friend, and they followed Mr. Roarke to the car. Steele and Laura slid into the back seat while Mildred rode up front with Mr. Roarke. A young man who had helped load the luggage into the car jumped into the back.

Mr. Roarke climbed into the driver's seat after checking the briefcase was still underneath the seat, started the car, and began to drive. "I had to explain the situation to Tattoo, as he is normally very involved in the preparations of our fantasies and would not be this time. As I will be needed to work with you as well as monitor your fantasies more closely than I normally do, I've placed him in charge of the rest of the island. We have no other guests to worry about either, so if whomever is behind the sabotage is going to strike, it would have to be against one of you." After just a few minutes of driving, they passed a small bungalow marked #1 on a small signpost by the front door. "This will be where I am staying during your time here on the island if you need to speak with me." Continuing down the road, he stopped the vehicle in front of a larger bungalow marked #2. "I've had this bungalow prepared for you, Mr. and Mrs. Peppler." Laura immediately looks nervous and he continues softly so only they can hear him, "It has two master bedrooms with their own baths, and a common living area between them. I thought this way it would be easier for you to work to be close to each other. This side of the island has only the 3 bungalows available for use." The young man from the back of the car climbed down and began to take down the bags marked as belonging to the Pepplers. Mr. Roarke led them inside to a large airy living room. The young man set down the bags and returned to the car. Mr. Roarke waved his hand, "One bedroom is to the left, and the other is to the right. There is a shared patio through that door. If you'd like to walk back up to the #1 bungalow, the four of us will dine together and discuss the schedule for your fantasies." Steele nodded, and picked up his bag, heading towards the bedroom on the left. Laura picked up her bag and headed for the bedroom to the right. She went directly into her room and shut the door, while Steele paused at the door of his to watch her, then entered. Mr. Roarke sighed, as this might be more of a challenge than he thought.

Mr. Roarke went back out to the car, and climbed back into the driver's seat. "Now, Mildred, let me show you to your bungalow. It's a very short walk between all three of them." As they pulled up to bungalow #3, it appeared to be about the same size as Mr. Roarke's. The young man carried her bag in for her, and Mr. Roarke walked in with her. "Bedroom and bathroom are through there, and you have a small patio. Normally we have staff living nearby to serve as maids, serve meals, and various other tasks for the guests. But I've isolated this section of the island to just the four of us. I asked Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt to meet us at my bungalow in an hour for dinner, but first, I need to speak with you about your primary fantasy, and what role I'll need you to play for this to work." Mildred nodded and the two of them sat down.

Thirty minutes later a shell-shocked Mildred leaned back into the sofa. "Oh Mr. Roarke, that seems like such an extreme way to make this happen, I'm not sure I want to go through with it." Mr. Roarke reached over and patted her head, "I know Mildred, that's why I wanted to discuss some of the details with you now. I have a little more research to complete tonight, but I think this will be the best way to help them breach the walls between them. All you need to remember is no matter how upsetting it may seem, it's just a fantasy. It's not real, but the reactions and feelings it will cause to occur will be real. Do you understand?" She nodded, "I know you're right. I'd better get ready for dinner." She stood up, and Mr. Roarke did as well. He gave her a kiss on the back of the hand and said, "I'll see you at dinner shortly, Mildred. Just walk back along the road to the main bungalow, there will be no other traffic on the road." He then left her in her living room, climbed back into the car, and returned to Bungalow #1. Mildred picked up her bag and went into the bedroom to change her clothes, still numb at the story Mr. Roarke had told her about how her fantasy would be made to come true.

Mildred changed into one of her favorite outfits she bought in Acapulco and a pair of sensible shoes for walking, and began walking back up the path towards Mr. Roarke's bungalow. When she reached Bungalow #2, she could see Steele and Ms. Holt just ahead of her on the road. She called, "Hey, wait up!" and walked a little faster to catch up to them when they turned and stopped to wait for her. "Is your bungalow as nice as mine?" Mildred asked Laura. "Oh yes, Mildred, it's very comfortable, and the view out the window is absolutely amazing." Steele nodded, "Hopefully we'll wrap up this case quickly, and can enjoy the rest of our stay as a real vacation, eh Ms. Holt?" Laura smiled, "That would be nice, Mr. Steele, very nice indeed." The three of them chatted as they continued to walk back up the road. When Bungalow #1 was in sight, Mr. Roarke was waiting for them on the front steps, "Welcome, my friends, welcome, please come in and make yourselves at home. I'm glad you could join me for dinner tonight." They walked into the living room, and one half of it had been converted into a dining room where serving plates filled with hot food waited for them. "I have salads to start, and then roast beef with steamed vegetables, and a cheesecake for desert. What would you like to drink?" Mildred asked for water, and Steele almost automatically said, "Dom Perignon, 76 if you have it." Mr. Roarke went to a cabinet in the corner of the room, opened the door, and pulled a bottle out. Steele's eyebrows went up in surprise, and Mr. Roarke opened the bottle and poured a glass for him, "And for you Ms. Holt?" "The same, please," and she accepted a glass as well. "Please, shall we sit down?" The seats were set up with Mr. Roarke at the head of the table, two seats on one side of him and one seat on the other. Mildred went to the single chair and sat down, forcing Steele and Laura to sit next to each other, Laura closest to Mr. Roarke. It was a family-style dinner of handing the courses around the table and taking what you wanted. As they began to eat, Mr. Roarke asked, "Ms. Holt, I hope this will not offend you, but I must admit that the role of private investigator is not one you normally picture a woman desiring to pursue. What drew you to this line of work?" Laura paused before answering, "No offense at all, I get asked that question a lot. I've always enjoyed mysteries and solving puzzles, asking questions and getting answers, and really that's a lot of what being a private investigator is about."

Mr. Roarke asked, "But isn't it also a dangerous profession? I mean, I can't imagine the number of times your lives might have been endangered during a case." Laura nodded, 'There are risks, but we do our best to take precautions to prevent that from happening. We don't go into dangerous situations alone..." Steele made an odd noise, and Laura turned to look at him. "Well, Laura, there was that time during the Courtney Doll case where you went into that warehouse alone..." She bristled, "Only because you were nowhere to be found at the time, and you went to the factory alone first in that case as I recall." Steele's eyes twinkled, he so enjoyed getting Laura's dander up. Her eyes grew fiery. He never wanted to have a repeat of the kind of argument they had at the spa, but their fiery debates were so entertaining. "At least I have never been shot," he replied. Her eyebrows shot up, "I wasn't shot, well, I was, but I didn't get hurt because of that bulletproof jacket so that doesn't count. Let's count how many broken legs you've had, shall we?" Mr. Roarke glanced Mildred's way, and from the expression on her face, this was par for the course with these too. Mr. Roarke interrupted, "So it is as dangerous a profession as I've heard?" Laura snapped her head around, calming as she had almost forgotten she and Steele weren't alone. Sometimes when they got into one of their discussions the rest of the world just faded away to her. "There are dangers involved, but we try to avoid them as best we can." Mr. Roarke continued, "Well, I suppose that's what partners do is watch out for each other, correct?" Steele and Laura both looked at each other, then back at Mr. Roarke. Steele responded, "Yes, I suppose that's true." Laura continued, "It wouldn't be good for the Agency if either of us was seriously hurt, we work best as a team." She glanced back over at Steele with a slight blush coming to her cheeks. Steele couldn't help but wonder what other "teamwork" they would be good at if they could only get that far.

The rest of the dinner time talk was about the case. Mr. Roarke went through each case of sabotage that had disrupted the fantasies, what the original fantasy was, and what went wrong. "I have set out a schedule for your fantasies. Mr. Steele, I have you visiting the set of "The Big Sleep" tomorrow morning and Ms. Holt, I have your performance at Carnegie Hall set for tomorrow evening." Steele frowned, "Will my fantasy be concluded in time to watch Ms. Holt's peformance? She's a very talented pianist and I wouldn't want to miss her big moment." Laura looked at him in surprise. *How does he know how talented I am? He's never heard me play.... has he?* Mr. Roarke nodded, "I thought you might wish to attend, so I've timed things so you'll return 30 minutes before her performance starts. Mildred, as part of your fantasy of being a detective, you will visit both fantasies and be watching our for the saboteur." Mildred nodded. "Sunday night, I then have set up the Peppler's fantasy to attend the Gone With the Wind premiere. I have already arranged for period clothing appropriate for the occassion to be placed in your bungalow wardrobes. Mildred, you will also attend this one as an observer." The three of them nodded, "That will provide 3 opportunities for him or her to act, and then give you the rest of the week to figure out who is doing this, and why."

Mr. Roarke stood, "Well, Mr. Steele, I will come to fetch you at 9 am tomorrow to start your fantasy. I have some last minute preparations to complete, so I must call it a night. I will fetch each of you when your fantasies are ready to begin." He walked them to the door, and gave both Mildred and Laura a kiss on the back of their hands. It was just beginning to get dark, but tiki torches along the road were already burning providing more than enough light. He waved as he closed the door and the threesome started back down the road. Steele kept talking about their fantasies, while Laura kept trying to put together a list of possible suspects. "Mildred, tomorrow ask Mr. Roarke for a list of all employees were on the island during each of the incidentes, and see if you can arrange to have access to a computer to run checks on them." Laura hugged Mildred good night, and headed into the bungalow. Steele told Mildred he would walk her back to her bungalow before turning in. They talked about her fantasy about being a detective, and which scenes he had narrowed it down to that he wanted to see being filmed. It was a very short walk to her bungalow and he gave her a peck on the cheek and waited at the foot of the stairs until she closed the door behind her, then walked back to his room.

That night, Mildred slept very soundly, the stress of the day and all the travelling having caught up with her. Steele and Laura, however, each had very vivid dreams of some of their past cases. Steele dreamed about the time Laura had been shot in her loft, and how painful it was when he had thought she had been killed. He dreamed about the time she fell off of the balcony during a fight with the mastermind behind an attempt to steal the Royal Lavulite, and the fear he felt thinking she must have been killed in the fall, and how lucky she was to have landed on that hedge. He also dreamed about the Courtney Doll case, pulling up to the warehouse where he knew Laura was in there without backup and hearing those gunshots, fearing she had been murdered because he wasn't there to protect her. Finally he dreamed of the Christmas celebration tarnished by Santa suited terrorists, and his fear that Laura or Mildred would be hurt. Laura dreamed of the Courtney Doll case as well, watching Steele getting beaten up by a couple of thugs that worked for a loan shark. She dreamed of the time Steele was named one of L.A.'s top 5 bachelors and he ended up with two broken legs. She dreamed of Wally, the nice young man who worked as a handyman in her building, who turned out to be a stalker, who had disabled the elevator in Steele's building, and he broke his leg again. She remembered the counterfeiting case when Steele had been captured, interrogated, even tortured, before he was able to escape. She dreamed about the time Steele left the Agency, travelling to London to try and find out about his past, and how much it hurt to have him missing from her side. Finding him at last, he had been injured badly while running from the police, and she had to tend his wounds herself. Throughout the night, each dreamed about past cases where one of them was in danger, and how they felt about that. They remembered the fear and the pain they felt. Both wanting to say things to the other about how important they were, but being too afraid to do so. By the end of the dream, Laura was thinking about how afraid she was of being hurt again by someone she loved. First her father, then Wilson, could she risk Steele being third? Because the pain he could cause might be far deeper than either the loss of her father or Wilson caused. By the end of his dream, Steele was thinking about he was afraid of his feelings for Laura because he had never cared so deeply for a woman before, never wanted to stay in one place for so long before. The Wanderer had found a place to call Home, and wasn't exactly sure what to do with it. Both dreams ended with them walking down a cold sandy beach, having just solved the spa case, making up after the most horrible fight they'd ever had. They agreed they wanted this relationship to go forward, wanted to explore whatever it was between them, but neither knew how to get there. They made a start on that beach, but never moved beyond the beach. Both woke up the next morning feeling a bit out of sorts due to their dreams. Both dismissed it was being triggered by their talk at dinner the night before about past cases.

That night, Mr. Roarke slept very deeply, and allowed himself to drift into the dreams of both Steele and Ms. Holt. He needed to understand how they really felt about each other, and he had planted the seeds for their dreams during their dinner discussion. He felt that understanding could be gleaned from their memories of past cases. He wanted to see how each reacted to the other's life being in danger, and see how far they had come with their relationship on their own. Watching the scene on the beach through their eyes, he began to understand what held them back, and was sure that the fantasy he had prepared would be enough to push the walls down, and that they would be strong enough to grab onto what they want so much. All that was required was a threat against what they wanted for them to become protective of it. That protectiveness was a by-product of their feelings for each other and therefore could be used to overcome the barriers between them. He opened his eyes the next morning, certain that his plan was the right approach, and hoping that it would work as planned. He had arranged the night before for breakfast to be waiting for Steele, Laura, and Mildred in their living rooms upon their waking. He got up and began his morning routine; preparing to walk down to get Mr. Steele for his fantasy and begin the most complicated project in the history of Fantasy Island.


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: If you'd like to see the original scene from "The Big Sleep", you can watch it at YouTube at www youtube com/watch?v=ZmK-gF8nEh4_

_Steele's Fantasy_

Mr. Roarke knocked on the door of Bungalow #2, and Laura opened the door. He could see over her shoulder the dining room table with the remains of their breakfast, Steele finishing up a cup of tea and dressed casually (for him) in a pair of dark slacksand a polo shirt with a sports coat. He set down his teacup as Mr. Roarke entered the room. "Well, Mr. Steele, are you ready to watch the filming of "The Big Sleep"?" Steele nodded, "Yes, and I've picked the scene I want to see." Mr. Roarke pours himself a cup of tea, and asks, "And your choice is?" Steele replies, "I'd like to see the scenes from Mars' casino, where Vivian is singing, and after the faked attempt to rob her, she and Marlowe kiss." Mr. Roarke nodded, he had prepared multiple possible scenes and this was what he predicted Steele would select. "Excellent, if you're finished with breakfast, we'll go pick up Ms. Krebs and I'll take you to your fantasy, and we'll have you back in time for an early dinner before Ms. Holt's performance." Laura comments, "In the meantime, I'm going to explore the island a bit, if that's all right." Mr. Roarke, "Absolutely Ms. Holt, just stay close to the roads and paths, we don't want you missing your curtain call because you've gotten lost." She nods, and heads back into her bedroom. Steele stands up and he and Mr. Roarke leave, getting into the car and driving the short distance to Mildred's bungalow. She comes out, having obviously been watching for them and hurries down to the car. She's dressed in period clothing for the mid 1940's so she should be able to blend into the crowd of workers working on the film. Steele moves to the back seat so she can sit up front with Mr. Roarke.

"Good morning, Mildred. I hope you enjoyed your breakfast." Mildred nodded, "It was delicious, but I don't remember hearing anyone deliver it this morning, it was just there." Mr. Roarke smiled, "That's the way my staff tends to operate, we don't want their presence to interfere with your stay, so they try to remain invisible, so to speak. Now, this morning we are headed to the sets on the Warner Brothers lot in the mid 1940's. World War II is just finishing up, and the "Bogie and Bacall" pairing is gaining popularity. With their marriage, they are now a successful couple professionally as well as personally." Mr. Roarke glances in the rearview mirror at Steele, and notices his look get more thoughtful at this description of the stars' relationship. It could mirror what Laura and Steele could share if they took that step. Mr. Roarke continues, "Mr. Steele has selected a scene that takes place in a casino where Vivian is singing, and then there is a confrontation outside the casino that ends with them kissing. Mr. Steele will be playing a role as an extra in the casino, while Ms. Krebs will be among the crew filming the scenes." He pulled the car over to the side of the road, near the base of the foothills of a small mountain. He got out, and they followed him down a path that ended in a cave. Mr. Roarke pointed towards the cave, "Walk through there until you start to see the fog. Walk through the fog and you will come out the other side on the lot where the filming was taking place. You should be able to find your way to the correct set on your own. When the scene ends, leave the set the way you came in and watch for the fog. It will bring you back here." Steele and Mildred both looked very doubtful, then Steele shrugged and started towards the cave. Mildred looked back towards Mr. Roarke, who waved her forward. She began to follow Steele through the dark tunnel. It wasn't very long before they indeed began to see the fog lining the floor of the cave and it felt like they were walking on a cloud. Even though they were some distance from the entrance, there was still sufficient light to see where they were going. Soon a light appeared in front of them, and they excited the cave and found themselves on the lot of Warner Brothers. Turning around, they saw the cave exit now looked liked the entrance to a sound stage.

Steele was amazed at his surroundings, it certainly looked like the Warner Brothers studio lot. "Come along, Mildred." He began walking towards the buildings across an expanse of pavement that seemed to double as both sidewalk and street. People in costume carrying scripts and people rushing around with props filled the area. Steele tried a couple of times to get their attention and get directions to the right building, but was unsuccessful. They approached the first building and found they were in luck; the sign on the door read "The Big Sleep DO NOT ENTER IF THE RED LIGHT IS ON". Looking up, they saw the red light was not on, so Steele opened the door, and allowed Mildred to enter before him. What he saw was a large soundstage with half of the room converted into the casino and the other half filled with the equipment and crew that would be doing the filming. "Amazing..." Steele whispered. There was a group of people standing off to one side that looked dressed for a night at the casino, so Steele presumed those were the other extras. "I'm going to take my place, Mildred, you keep an eye out for any trouble." Mildred nodded, and tried to blend into the crew. She found herself turned into something of a gopher, bringing coffee to the director, helping to place props in the room, it was amazing! She soon lost herself in the experience of helping to make a movie. The set consisted of two rooms, the main casino off to one side, then a hallway with a side room where Vivian would be performing. When everything was ready, the director pulled the crew back from the set and began to place the extras. The casino was filled with the majority of them. Steele was placed in the back of the crowd in the room where Vivian would sing. Marlowe would be standing right behind him in the doorway while she was singing "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine." It would only take a quick glance over his shoulder and he'd be able to see his movie idol up close and personal. It was perfect, a real dream come true to be IN the scene of one of his favorite movies. His hands tingled with excitement. After all the extras were in place, Vivian came out and took her place among the musicians. She was so young, in her early 20's if he recalled correctly, and looked as beautiful as he expected her to be. The musicians played the opening to the song and she warmed up with the opening bars of the song. Her voice was lovely. He just couldn't believe he was really here!

Finally everything was in place, the director called action, and the musicians started to play. It took all of Steele's willpower not to turn around and watch Marlowe enter the room behind him, but continue to watch Vivian as she sang. He recognized when she noticed Marlowe in the doorway and gestured slightly with her head in his direction. Steele took advantage of the cue to turn around and look. There he was, the man whose movie roles had provided him his names for so many years, looking ruggedly handsome in his suit, leaning against the door. Marlowe saluted Vivian, and as Steele turned, she returned it, continuing to sing all the while. Steele turned slightly on the leather sofa he sat on so he could keep Marlowe in his vision while still enjoying Vivian's singing and appearing focused on her. He watched as the actress playing the roll of a casino employee approached Bogart, whispering in his ear that Eddie Mars would see him now, Steele knew. There was another exchange of facial expressions between the couple - absolutely magical how much expression they could convey so simply - and he heard Bogart move away from the doorway to his meeting. The music continued and Steele couldn't contain his toothy grin. This was absolutely incredible, he had no idea how Mr. Roarke was able to pull this off, but it was as real as anything he'd ever experienced. Suddenly, a crash came from the hallway area behind him. Everyone in the room jumped, and a couple of the extras, including Steele, moved to the doorway to see what had happened. They saw Marlowe sitting in a chair near the fake door at the end of the hallway, the sleeve of his suit torn and the broken remains of an overhead light laying on the ground next to him. Two other actors were standing just off of the set, looking up towards the light fixtures. The director screamed "Cut!" and chaos seemed to reign. Vivian pushed her way past Steele and rushed to her husband, who was telling everyone he wasn't seriously hurt. Steele recognized the two actors as the two men Marlowe encounters in the hallway on his way to meeting with Mars. One of them said he heard something snap, looked up and saw the light falling, and pushed Marlowe into the chair before throwing himself out of the way. The light brushed Marlowe's arm before crashing at his feet.

Steele moved out of the set and began looking for Mildred, as well as a way to get up into the upper level of the soundstage. Mildred was standing off to the side looking quite distraught. Steele ran up to her, "Mildred, did you see anything unusual up above the set during the scene?" She nodded, "There was a figure dressed all in black. I thought it was just one of the stagehands working with the lights, but then I saw him push one of the lights and run that way." She pointed back towards the back of the set. Steele figured by the time he got back there around the walls of the set, whoever it was would be long gone. "Mildred, I know this incident never occurred during the filming of the movie, so whoever that was tried to kill him wasn't part of the original history. That makes no sense at all. If it was someone from Fantasy Island and they got here the same way we did, maybe we can catch them at the cave. I think we'd better return now." Mildred nodded, very shaken by the whole experience.

Steele took one last look back at one of his favorite movie couples. She was in tears, so grateful her husband wasn't hurt. How much in love they were, Steele thought, remembering that he had left his wife for the young woman who was only half his age but had captured his heart. Steele knew they would only have a little over 10 more years together before his death. You never know how much time you have available to you, how many times had he or Laura said that to each other with respect to their relationship. As he and Mildred made their way back towards the cave, he remembered sitting with Laura in the Federal Reserve Bank, after she had nearly fallen off of that beam. He had nearly lost her that night, and they had talked about how precious time was and it shouldn't be wasted. What if Laura hadn't been wearing that bulletproof jacket when Carl shot her? He shivered at the thought. Yet here they were four years later, and they'd not moved forward very far in their relationship at all. Every time they took one step forward, they took 2 steps back. The whole Cannes affair set them far back because she had lost some of her trust in him. He knew that, and had worked hard to earn it back. Leaving for London probably set them back too, but Laura gave him another chance yet again. This was his third chance with her, and he was very conscious of that. Laura wasn't one to get lots of chances; if he was on his last one, he needed to be careful and not mess it up. He shook his head. He couldn't be thinking about Laura right now, he needed to get himself and Mildred back to Fantasy Island and report to Laura what had happened.

As they approached the doorway to the soundstage, they could see fog rolling out of the doorway. They hurried through it and soon found themselves back at the cave entrance where they had started, but what had seemed like only a couple of hours of time had apparently been much longer back on the island. The sun had moved across the sky, and it was getting close to evening. The car was right where Mr. Roarke left it, but he was no where to be seen. There was a note in the driver's seat. Picking it up, Steele read, "Meet Ms. Holt and myself at my bungalow for a light dinner before I take you all to Ms. Holt's fantasy." Steele climbed into the car and drove back towards the bungalows as quickly as he could. Parking in front of Bungalow #1, they climbed out and went up the steps. Steele knocked on the door and hearing Mr. Roarke call from inside, opened the door. He found Laura dressed in an elegant black dress with spaghetti straps, leaving her arms and shoulders bare. The sight stopped him in the doorway for a moment. The sight of Laura dressed up like that often did that to him. He regained his senses quickly, and stepped to the side so Mildred could enter. Laura asked, "So how did it go?" Steele shook his head, "It started out wonderfully, but then someone tried to kill the star on the set." "What?" Laura stepped forward and laid a hand on his arm, "Are you all right?" Steele blinked. *I just told her that someone tried to kill someone else, and she first thinks to ask if I'm alright?* He nodded, "Yes, I was in another part of the set when it happened. Mildred saw a figure tamper with one of the lights, but they got away. Mr. Roarke, was the cave the only way for someone from Fantasy Island to get into my fantasy?" Mr. Roarke nodded. "But no one on the staff knew about your fantasy, or how I was sending you there. After you and Ms. Krebs left, I walked back here to my bungalow to finish the preparations for Ms. Holt's fantasy. Anyone could have entered after you, and if someone returned before you did, no one was there to witness it." He shook his head, "I can't believe this has happened yet again. It's almost like someone is reading my mind to know my plans." He sighed, "Let us hope that Ms. Holt's fantasy will be undisturbed. Dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes, why don't you and Ms. Krebs run back to your bungalows and change into your evening clothes for the trip to Carnegie Hall, and return for dinner?" Steele and Mildred agreed, and went back out to the car. Laura ran her hands up and down her arms. She was getting a bad feeling about this. As excited as she was to have her fantasy, she was now a little scared too. At least she wouldn't be alone, Mr. Steele and Mildred would be there with her.


	8. Chapter 8

_Laura's Fantasy_

Steele and Mildred used the car to get to their bungalows, change their clothes, and get back in time for the dinner. It was a light meal of bread and soup with a light white wine to go with it. Laura distracted herself from her nerves by asking Steele and Mildred question after question about the incident at the film set, trying to see if they picked up any valuable clues and just didn't realize it. So many times in the past, one of Steele's in-passing observations had turned into the enlightenment needed to wrap up the case. But neither Steele nor Mildred had much to offer, and since there were no witnesses at the cave to see if anyone else from Fantasy Island had used it, they weren't any closer to solving the case. They had just verified that someone is up to no good by disrupting the fantasies of Mr. Roarke's clients.

Finally, it was time for Laura's performance. Mr. Roarke took Laura's hand and put it in the crook of his arm. Being ever the gentleman, Steele did the same with Mildred and followed them through the archway into the back portion of the living room. On either side of the room were closed doors, presumably to bedrooms. Mr. Roarke nodded in the direction of the door to the right and said, "That door will lead you to the balcony looking down on the piano. You'll have that section to yourselves so you can enjoy Ms. Holt's performance." He then nodded towards the door to the left, "That door will take Ms. Holt and I to her dressing room in the Hall. I will stay with her until she takes the stage, then come join you in the balcony. If you're ready, Ms. Holt?" She nodded once, then looked over at Steele and Mildred and waved goodbye. At the same time, Mr. Roarke and Steele opened their respective doors. Beyond each they could see exactly what Mr. Roarke had said would be behind them. Each couple stepped through and the doors closed behind them. Steele escorted Mildred down to the front seats in their section of the balcony. The seats did overlook the piano and Laura would be facing them while she played. He wished he had a camera to capture the moment for Laura - and for himself. He had heard her play only once before, when she didn't know he was listening as she christened her new piano and her new loft apartment. He was looking forward to the performance. Laying on each of their seats was a copy of the program. It occurred to him as they took their seats that he had never asked Laura exactly which songs she had chosen to perform. He opened the program and saw that that evening's selections were three pieces by Chopin: "Scherzo in B minor, Op. 20, ", "_Étude_ in F minor", and "Waltz in A-flat major, _The Farewell Waltz_".

Meanwhile, Mr. Roarke and Laura stepped into a simple yet elegant dressing room. Sitting on the dressing table was a copy of the program for that night's performance, "A Chopin Piano Suite presented by Ms. Laura Holt". Laura stepped away from Mr. Roarke and picked it up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She had always dreamed of performing on the piano in front an audience, but had always doubted that she was good enough to do so. It was an incredible rush to see her name in print on the program. Off to one side, a vase filled with red roses caught her attention next. Their subtle scent filled the room and relaxed her nerves. She looked for a card, but didn't see one. Mr. Steele, perhaps? It would be like him to do something like this, he was a master of grand gestures. She was so pleased that he and Mildred would be here to enjoy her performance. For a short while, she wanted to forget about the case, about all the questions about her relationship with Mr. Steele, and just lose herself in the beautiful music she could produce at the piano.

Mr. Roarke walked over to the dressing table, removed one of the roses out of the vase, broke the flower off with a short stem and turned to Laura, "May I?" She nodded, and held still as he tucked the rose into her hair just over her ear. It was the perfect accessory, the splash of red highlighting the amber highlights in her hair and a splash of color against her pale skin and black dress. There was a knock at the door, "Five minutes, Ms. Holt!" one of the backstage crew called to her. "Good luck, Ms. Holt, or I believe the correct phrase is 'Break A Leg'." She thanked him, and he left the room to make his way up to the balcony where Steele and Mildred had made themselves comfortable. Laura took a few deep breaths before emerging from her dressing room. A young man waited there to escort her to the stage. "If you'll wait here until you're introduced, Ms. Holt." He moved away, co-ordinating the lighting with someone. The curtains were raised, and a spotlight came on, shining down on a grand piano sitting in the middle of the stage. Laura looked up towards the lights and then into the crowd. It was amazing, the hall was completely packed with people, a full house! Her stomach was full of butterflies, but it energized her rather than scared her. After just a couple of minutes, the house lights were dimmed and a man's voice spoke over the sound system. "Ladies and gentlemen, Carnegie Hall is proud to present Ms. Laura Holt." The crowd began to applaud and Laura slowly stepped out from the side of the stage to walk to the piano. Standing next to the bench, she gave a half bow to the crowd and then scanned the balconies until she found Steele, Mildred, and Mr. Roarke. Even in the dim lighting, she could see Steele's toothy grin and Mildred giving her two thumbs up. She gave another half bow in their direction, and then moved to take her place on the piano bench. Again she took a couple of calming breaths and then began to play the first piece. Chopin was always one of her favorite composers and it gave her such pleasure to present his work during her performance.

The first two songs were performed flawlessly, and the crowd applauded with appreciation after each piece. Her confidence may have never been higher in her life; the thrill of performing, the passion in the music, it flowed through her fingers out into the crowd. As she began "The Farewell Waltz", it started just the same way. About halfway through it, however, the tone of the piano began to change. At first it just seemed to be going out of tune, but then she could hear the sounds of the strings snapping within the instrument! She stopped playing and stood up, and saw what appeared to be water bubbling inside the piano, eating through the strings. Acid! Someone had planted acid in the piano! She stepped back away from the piano, not knowing if anything else had been tampered with. When the tone of the piano began to change, Steele sat forward in his seat, sensing that something was going wrong. When Laura stopped playing and then moved quickly away from the piano, Steele jumped to his feet and began to make his way down to the stage level. The crowd began to murmur in confusion, not sure what was going on. Laura exited the stage as the announcer came back over the sound speakers. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we apologize that our evening of entertainment will be cut short due to unexpected technical difficulties. We hope you enjoyed the performance and look forward to seeing you next time." Mr. Roarke and Mildred began to make their way down to the stage level as well.

Steele worked his way around to the opposite side of the stage where a shaking Laura was standing, rubbing her hands over her bare arms. He immediately took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders and pulled her back away from the stage a bit more. "Laura, what on earth happened? You sounded so lovely and then it's like the piano fell apart on you or something." She nodded and looked up at him, "There was acid inside the piano. Someone must have rigged it to release in the middle of my program, it couldn't have been like that since I started playing." Steele pulled her into his arms, unable to help himself at the forlorn tone of her voice, "Your music was beautiful, Laura, simply beautiful, I had no idea you could play like that. I hope you'll play for me again sometime." She looked up at him and smiled slightly, "I'd like that very much, Mr. Steele. Perhaps I would play you a song if you'd answer a question about your mysterious past?" It was a game they had played in the past, offering to exchange bits of themselves to learn more about the other. They never seemed to follow through on it though. He looked down at her, his blue eyes gazing deeply into her brown ones. He whispered, "Deal," before leaning down to give her a gentle kiss - much better than a handshake. He then pulled back and continued to hold her until Mr. Roarke and Mildred caught up with them. He told Mr. Roarke what Laura had said, and Mr. Roarke made his out way out to the stage. A couple of employees were already examining the piano, and as he approached, he could see something dripping from underneath the piano. He pointed this out to them, and they looked underneath the piano as well. The acid was strong enough that it was now eating through the bottom of the piano and dripping onto the floor. They called workers to move the piano and clean things up before the stage was permanently damaged. Mr. Roarke walked back to the threesome, very somberly apologized that once again someone managed to interfere with a fantasy. "At least no one was hurt, that is what's important. Come, it's been a long day, let us return." He lead the way to the backstage door, opened it, and waved an arm for them to walk through.

Steele and Laura found themselves walking through the front door of their shared bungalow. Mildred found herself walking through the front door of her bungalow. Mr. Roarke emerged in the living room of his bungalow, and after closing the front door, smiled to himself. So far things were going exactly according to his plan. When he and Mildred had been walking across the back of the stage, he had seen Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt embrace and the gentle kiss they exchanged. Tomorrow, he would escalate things and find out just how strongly these two truly felt about each other.


	9. Chapter 9a

_Author's Note: This section of the story is critical, and so very hard to write. I'm going to break it into multiple parts and tell the story from different points of view. I hope you enjoy the angst to come._

_The Peppler's Fantasy - Part 1  
_

Laura and Steele exchanged a glance, and Laura immediately headed for the phone sitting in the entry way of their bungalow. When the operator answered she said, "Please ring Mildred Krebs' bungalow. Yes, I'll hold, thank you." She didn't have to wait for long before she spoke again, "Mildred? Are you all right?" She paused while listening to Mildred's reply and nodded, "Yes, Mr. Steele and I walked through our front door the same way. I think tomorrow you'd better get an employee list from Mr. Roarke and find a computer to start running a check on them, while Mr. Steele and I do some exploring around the island." She listened to Mildred's reply again and smiled, "Yes, I'll tell him, Mildred. Good night." She hung up the phone and turned around towards Steele with a small smile, "Mildred wanted me to tell you good night." Steele grinned, "Of course she did. Would you like a nightcap before you head to bed, Laura?" She shook her head, "No, I think we have a big day tomorrow and I need some sleep." He walked over to her and leaned forward to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Thank you again for a wonderful performance tonight, I'll see you in the morning." He then headed for the door to his bedroom. Laura watched him leave before heading for her own room. Both changed for bed, and were asleep almost before their heads hit the pillows.

Mildred on the other hand didn't get to sleep nearly as easily. Knowing what was to come the next day was weighing heavily on her. She understood Mr. Roarke's reasoning and his logic behind what was to happen, but she just wasn't sure it was the right thing to do. She tossed and turned quite awhile before drifting off to sleep, and she awoke very early the next morning. She got dressed and went into the entry way, and found her breakfast waiting for her again along with a note from Mr. Roarke. "_Please come up to the main house after you have your breakfast so we can finalize the plan for tonight._" Mildred didn't have much of an appetite, but ate what she could before leaving the bungalow and walking up towards the main house. She looked over at the bungalow the kids were staying at, but everything appeared quiet there. They were probably still asleep.

When she reached the main house, she walked up to the front door and knocked. Mr. Roarke answered the door, and escorted her in. "Let us go into the sitting room to talk." He led the way, offering her coffee or tea. She asked for coffee, black, and sat down in a comfortable chair, admiring the decor in the room. Dominating one wall was a large golden mirror. Mildred accepted the cup of coffee and took a sip before setting it down and asking, "Are you still sure your plan is going to work?" Mr. Roarke nodded, "Nothing I have observed so far leads me to believe otherwise. I have one last piece of research to complete." He glanced at a small clock sitting on the end table. "Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt should be having their breakfast about now. Let us just sit and enjoy our coffee for now, and when they come up to the main house, we can both observe my last piece of research." Mildred's eyebrows went up, but she didn't say anything, settling back in her chair to wait.

Meanwhile, Steele and Laura had woken up and come out to find their breakfast waiting for them along with a note from Mr. Roarke. "_I will be busy today finishing up the arrangements for the Peppler's fantasy this evening. Dinner will be served for you at 6 pm tonight, allowing you plenty of time to change into your clothing after eating. I will pick you up in the car at 8 pm. Your clothes will be ready later this afternoon. Ms. Krebs is going to be working on some research, so perhaps the two of you would like to explore the island, or swim in the lagoon, or rest on the beach? If you'd like a book to read while you relax, please feel free to come up to the main house and take advantage of my library. Until tonight, Mr. Roarke._"

Laura read the note aloud while Steele filled up his breakfast plate. He glanced up, "That fits in just fine with our plans, after we eat, let's go grab a couple of books and find the lagoon. If someone has snuck onto the island, chances are they have a boat hidden around the water somewhere." Laura looked at him with a surprised look on her face, "That's an excellent observation, Mr. Steele. Yes, let's eat our breakfast, dress for the beach, and then stop at the library. Perhaps we can talk to Mildred before we go off, if she's doing the research there." They both ate their fill, and went back to their bedrooms to change. Steele changed into swimming trunks, then put on a pair of white slacks and a Hawaiian print shirt which he left halfway unbuttoned as was his custom. Finding a pair of sunglasses, he was soon ready for a day of exploring and hopefully a bit of fun down on the beach with Laura. He headed out to the entry way to wait for her.

Laura took longer getting ready, only because she couldn't decide what to wear. She had brought two swimsuits, a conservative one-piece and the little red bikini that she wore once on a case. She had thrown it into her bag only because she had found a beautiful floral sarong that matched it perfectly. She could throw a t-shirt and shorts over either swimsuit, but she had an urge to take advantage of the setting and dress to impress. Finding a bit of courage somewhere, she reached for the bikini and sarong. She fashioned the sarong into a skirt, tying the fabric over one hip and leaving one long leg practically bare. Once she put it on, she found a comfortable pair of matching sandals, threw a few things into her canvas bag including her sunscreen. She added a pair of shorts and a t-shirt in case the sarong got in the way while exploring. She headed for the bedroom door. She froze for just a moment, second guessing herself just a bit, before taking a deep breath and opening the door.

The look on Steele's face when he turned and saw her standing in the doorway to her bedroom was worth it. His eyes smoldered as he gave her a pointed up and down look. The red bikini was a splash of color against her freckled skin, and the floral sarong went just past her knees and surprisingly matched the pattern on his shirt very closely. Laura looked exquisite, like a tropical flower of some sort. He turned to face her as she closed the door and walked slowly towards him. He cleared his throat, "I'd say you're ready for the beach, Laura. You look lovely." She smiled, and a tint of a blush started up her face. "Thank you, Mr. Steele, we do want to look like a normal vacationing couple after all. Shall we go?" He nodded, and opened the door for her and followed her out. It was just a short walk up to the main house, but he enjoyed it very much. They talked about what kinds of books they hoped to find in the library as they walked.

Mr. Roarke stood up suddenly, "If you'll just wait here a moment, Mildred, I'll be back shortly." He left the room and entered the entry way just as Steele and Laura reached the front door and knocked. He paused before opening the door, smiling at them both. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Peppler, I hope you both slept well?" They nodded as they entered the room. "Excellent, Ms. Krebs was already here this morning getting the file you requested. I sent a computer down to her bungalow so she could work in privacy there. I assume you're here for the library?" Laura nodded, and he said, "Please follow me." He led the way towards the other side of the bungalow, and partially opened a door. "Help yourself to anything in here. You can exit to the patio and follow the path down to the lagoon. If you'll excuse me, I have final preparations for tonight to complete." He gave a small bow before walking way. Laura and Steele exchanged glances before Steele finished opening the door and they both entered the room. Three things caught their attention right away. First was the shelves and shelves of books filling the room. Second was a white grand piano which along with several comfortable chairs filled the center of the room. Finally, there was a large golden mirror dominating the wall opposite the doors to the patio.

Mr. Roarke returned to the sitting room and walked straight over to the mirror, running his hand along the frame. The glass appeared to shimmer for a moment before resolving itself into an image into the library. Mildred sat up, surprised to see Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt both dressed casually for a day on the beach, looking around the library in awe. "How did you do that?" Mr. Roarke turned to her, "It is similar to the special glass they have in police departments for interrogations. Mine is different because I can activate and deactivate it. Now, we watch and listen."

Laura moved over to the piano and ran a hand along the keys gently. Steele walked over to the mirror, checking himself out while watching Laura in the reflection. She turned to look at him and their eyes met. Laura said softly, "Did you mean what you said last night at the Hall? A song in exchange for a piece of your past?" Steele turned and walked towards her. Sitting on top of the piano was a lovely flower arrangement. He plucked one flower out, and tucked it into her hair, very similar to how Mr. Roarke had placed the rose in her hair the night before. "Of course I meant it, Laura, Remington Steele's word is his bond after all." She ran her hand over the top of the piano and met his eyes boldly. "If I played the third piece that was interrupted last night right now, would you answer a question?" Maintaining eye contact, he nodded, and moved to sit in one of the chairs while Laura settled down at the piano's bench.

In the other room, Mildred kept glancing at Mr. Roarke, who was watching the window into the other room intensely. Mildred was nervous about their comments about Mr. Steele's past, she hoped they didn't say anything that would reveal that Remington Steele wasn't really Remington Steele. In addition, she felt uncomfortable eavesdropping on the kids. It was almost as bad as when she'd walk into his office and catch them kissing and knowing she'd interrupted something. Just then, Laura began to play just as beautifully as the night before. Mildred found herself relaxing to the music and enjoying it immensely.

Back in the library, Laura allowed her eyes to drift closed and let her mind wander as she played the music. *I'll get my one question, what should I ask? There are so many things I've wondered about, like what was the first con he pulled with Daniel, more details about his childhood, how many times he's had to be on the run from the police. I only get one shot at this, I need to pick the right question.* She allowed her mind to sift through the many questions she had wondered about as she played. Meanwhile, Steele sat riveted in his chair, watching Laura's facial expressions as she played, wondering what piece of his sordid past she was going to dig up. At least he knew she wouldn't ask him for his real name, because they both knew that was something he didn't even know himself. But there were a lot of things in his past that he wasn't proud of, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear that telling her about some of them might damage their fragile relationship. *Although, when I told her about the Mexico City job, that didn't seem to hold us back then. Maybe now that she knows me as the person I am now, she'll be able to accept those parts of my past as exactly that - the past.* Each of them grew nervous as the song wound down to its conclusion. When Laura finished playing, she laid her hands in her lap and opened her eyes. Steele began to clap slowly before standing and approaching the piano. "That was just as lovely as last night, Laura, you truly are a talent. Why didn't you explore a professional career as a pianist?" She looked up at him, and her eyes grew troubled. She whispered her answer, "Because Daddy was always my biggest fan of my playing. After he left, I lost my passion for playing. Without that passion, you can't succeed at it professionally. So now I just play for myself and for the pleasure of playing."

Steele felt bad for bringing up sad memories of hers. He reached down a hand and helped her up from the piano bench, and led her over to one of two chairs. As she sat down, he sat in the chair adjacent to hers. He was facing the mirror and she was sitting to his left, their knees almost touching. "So Laura, what question would you like me to answer?" He held his breath awaiting her reply, and she held hers as she tried to decide what to ask. When she finally opened her mouth, she found herself saying the first thing that came to her mind. "Why did you really stay in Los Angeles instead of following the Royal Lavulite to San Francisco four years ago?" Both Steele and Laura seemed surprised by the question. He was expecting something from his life before they had met, and Laura hadn't realized how much she wondered about that until just that moment. Three sets of ears were waiting for his reply - Laura's, Mildred's, and Mr. Roarke's.

**_End of Part 1_**


	10. Chapter 9b

_Author's Note: I am increasing the rating of this chapter due to some very mild sexual content._

Steele leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he attempted to find the words to answer Laura's question. He knew she expected and deserved completely honesty, and he was trying to live up to his standard of "Remington Steele's word is his bond". He took a deep breath before beginning to speak - finding the right words with Laura was so hard! In his past, coming up with words had been easier - but maybe it's easy to find words to say when you're lying. But thanks to the time they spent at that spa on a case, Steele understood now that words were as important to Laura as deeds were to him. Somehow he needed to learn to give her the words she needed to hear, just as she needed to learn to read the meaning of his deeds for what they meant.

"Would it be terribly cliche of me to say that I had found something I wanted more than the gems?" He sensed rather than saw Laura stiffen next to him, "Yes, very cliche." He could almost picture her teeth clenching. He leaned back in his chair, "Well, it may be cliche, but it's the truth. I was at the airport waiting to board the plane to San Francisco and found I had no desire to do so. I had completely lost my interest in the gems for something else." Laura said softly, "Something that aroused your curiosity,perhaps, and deserved a magnum of champagne? Would it be that impossible challenge you enjoy so much?" Steele smiled slightly, remembering that conversation over the champagne. He remembered near the end of that case while they were talking, after he had stepped into the shoes of Remington Steele, where she looked so lovely and yet was so angry with him at the same time. "Sort of, but not exactly."

Laura got up and began to pace the room, "So Daniel was right, the only reason you're still here is because you've not been able to get me into bed!" Steele sat up straight, looking shocked. "What?" Laura stopped and looked at him, surprised at his look of surprise. "What do you mean, what?" Steele slowly got up and walked toward her, speaking slowly, "Laura, I think we must be talking about two different things. You asked me why I stayed in Los Angeles instead of following the Royal Lavulite to San Francisco four years ago, when we first met. But you seem to be implying that the reason you think I stayed from 4 years ago is why I'm still here now. That's totally not true." He slowly shook his head, and her look of confusion grew. He reached for her hand, and she allowed him to take it and lead her back to the chair. "Why don't you let me finish answering your first question, and then you can tell me what foolishness Daniel has been telling you, eh?" She nodded.

"So, four years ago I was staking out the security operations for the Royal Lavulite. Standard operating procedure. I took lots of pictures, analyzed the situation and figured out the gems would be coming in via the laundry truck and not the armored truck. Absolutely classic trick of deception, very well planned, I couldn't have done better myself." Laura felt her jaw drop, remembering back to that time, the trial run she and Murphy had done to demonstrate to their client how they would safely bring the gems in and out again using a decoy armored car while the gems actually were arriving via a laundry drunk driven by Murphy. It had never occurred to her that their walk-through was being watched by a potential thief! That was before she had met Steele, who would later introduce himself as Ben Pearson.

Steele reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his wallet, hesitated, and then pulled out a worn piece of paper before handing it to Laura. She took it and looked down in surprise. It was a picture of her, standing next to Hunter, wearing one of her fedoras. It had been cut down to a wallet size out of a larger photograph, and the edges were worn as if it had been handled frequently. She remembered that day; it was the day of the walk through. Steele had staked them out and photographed the whole operation. *Wait a minute. Steele kept a copy of a picture of her in his wallet. A picture that captured the first time he had ever seen her, but before they had ever spoken?* Laura continued to stare at the small picture in shock until Steele reached over and slipped it out of her fingers and back into his wallet. Laura felt a blush building on her cheeks, thinking of the publicity photograph of Steele that she kept hidden in her desk, one of many shots they had taken to form the wall of photographs that decorated his office once he had assumed the role. How many times had she gotten that photo out over the years to look at and ponder the man of mystery sitting in the next office?

Steele continued, "When I came into the office and introduced myself as Ben Pearson and Murphy walked in, I thought I recognized him. I was able to verify that from my pictures and was able to put everything together. But what I remember most about that day was talking with you for the first time, the woman in the photograph that captured my attention through the camera. Later on, I had been cornered at the hotel by those two troublemakers when a woman walked by paging Remington Steele. To escape them, I answered her page. That's when Hunter found me, and introduced me to the real Ben Pearson. Things got really complicated after that. The night before, when we shared the magnum of champagne, we both felt an attraction to each other, I could see it your eyes and I'm sure you saw it in mine. I've been attracted to beautiful women before, but there was something different about you, Laura. You weren't just a pretty face, you were bright, intelligent, witty, charming, and later on, reminded me just a bit of myself." Laura's eyes widened. He nodded, "Oh yes, once I figured out who the real Remington Steele was, or rather wasn't, I knew that you and I were alike in many ways. I will always remember that first dance we shared where I exposed your secret, and you looked at me which such fire in your eyes. You created a person out of thin air and made him real to the world, a man of substance who didn't really exist, while I was the figure out in the real world without any substance behind me. Then I turned around and betrayed you by taking the place of your creation."

Steele sighed, "After we stopped Hunter from getting away with the jewels, for the first time ever I was the hero instead of creeping away in the shadows with my treasure in-hand, and it felt surprisingly good. For the first time in my life, I began to wonder if there was another way to live my life. I'd built up a rather unique set of skills over the years, and my lack of a true identity and shady past would have made it impossible for me to leave my old life behind and start fresh without some preparations. But there you and the Agency were with a ready-made identity I could step into, and a role that I really enjoyed playing. I could come out from the shadows and become respectable! Who would have ever thought that, not I! The impossible challenge that brought me back as Remington Steele wasn't just the attraction I felt for you, Laura, and the desire to explore that, but the challenge of trying to live as honest a life as I ever had before in my life. I know that is probably hypocritical to say. I was just doing another impersonation, playing another part, conning people in a different way. But not you, Laura. I know I don't share my past with you very easily or very often. Sometimes, it's not a pretty picture and it's better it remains buried in the past. Over the years, I think I have learned to be a pretty good detective thanks to your help. Once you started taking me seriously, and I understand why you didn't at first, we learned to work very good together. I'm sure at first you were hedging your bets, wondering when I would get tired of playing the detective game and return to my old life. Especially when Daniel would make an appearance in our lives. Sometimes I think you were surprised I stayed with you. But Laura, as time went by, the more I came to like this new life I'm living, and spending it with you. Don't you remember me telling you that I'm not the same man that walked through the door to become Remington Steele?" Laura nodded, "Well, that's true. Daniel, however, still thinks me of as his Harry, the person I used to be. So whatever Daniel told you about me, he was saying how he thought Harry felt or what Harry's motivation was. I am not his Harry anymore, Laura, except in Daniel's mind. I'm your Remington Steele now, or my best version of him anyway, and my reasons for staying now are different than the reasons I stayed back then. Now tell me, what exactly did Daniel tell you that has upset you so much?" He sat waiting for her to tell him.

Laura took a deep breath before saying quietly, staring down at her hands clasped in her lap. "Back when you were pretending to be Reggie, the Duke's heir, Daniel and I had a little talk. I guess you could say we were fighting over who got to keep you. Anyway, he said that you were only still around because you wanted to get me into bed. That once you had achieved the "Ultimate Moment", you'd have no reason to stay, and you'd go away, back to your old life." Steele sighed, and looked up to the ceiling in frustration. *Daniel, I would so like to throttle you sometimes, old man* "Yes, I remember, and we talked about it after you saved me from that chandelier, and I told you that there were many reasons why I stayed besides wanting to be with you - including devotion to our work." Laura looked down at her tightly gripped hands. "Well, I think maybe I wanted to believe that was true, so I let myself believe it, and now.... I'm not so sure."

Remington sighed, "Like I told you after I was framed for that diamond heist, Laura, I'm grateful for the life I have here, for the life you've given me, and I'm not going anywhere. I'm very grateful you're a part of that life." Steele's voice trailed off in a whisper as he finished speaking. It was usually so hard for him to talk about his feelings. Usually the only times he's been able to be so candid he's been emotionally stressed, or had the time to think hard before putting the words onto paper. Talking about his feelings spontaneously just didn't happen normally. He said softly, "Do you remember all the things I wrote in my letter to you at the spa? They're very much the reason why I'm still here after four years. It's the longest I've ever stayed in one place in my whole life, the longest I've ever spent with one person in my life, and Laura," Steele looked at her and waited until she made eye contact. "If you think I'm going to disappear the morning after we figure out how to take this relationship to the next level, you are very much mistaken. I dare say one taste will make me hungry for even more." His voice was deep and rough with the desire that he usually kept carefully suppressed when around Laura. He knew he could only express his desire to a point before she became skittish, and had learned over the years where the line was and adjusted as it moved back and forth. His control slipped just a little and he carefully crossed his leg while he still had Laura's eyes locked with his, hoping she wouldn't notice that he was getting aroused by the conversation.

Laura stared at him, struck by his candor. Steele being so open and honest with her was something completely unexpected. When these moments would happen between them, they would remained locked in her memory, like "Xenos" comforting her after her house had been destroyed. That glimpse into his past helped her to understand the man he was. More than anyone she knew, he was a product of his life experiences. Over the past four years, momentary glimpses like that had helped her to feel closer to the man the world knew as Remington Steele. He was the man with no name of his own, only the name she had given him. He didn't even have his old aliases to fall back on anymore; those passports being confiscated when they were in London a year ago. Yet she continued to call him "Mr. Steele", always keeping him at arm's length in that small way. Of course part of the reason she found it so hard to call him "Remington" is she always pictured a typewriter when she even thought the word. The name seemed so prestigious when it belonged to someone who didn't exist and who you never thought you would want to be on a first-name basis with! *Certainly not the name you'd pick for the person you had fallen in love with* Laura took a deep breath, not ready to pursue that line of thought any more, at least not with Steele sitting right there. She sighed, "Well, you've certainly given me a lot to think about. Let's find ourselves a book and head for the beach, shall we?" Steele recognized that her skittish side had taken over and Laura was backing away from the conversation as quickly as she could to re-group.

Laura got up and started to look at the closest set of shelves. There seemed to be a variety of books available from modern day thrillers to classic literature. Steele started chuckling from his chair. She turned and saw him reach forward to pick up two books resting on the table that sat between the chairs where they had been talking. "I think the room already picked our books out for us." She walked over and reached for the first book, "The Big Sleep" by Raymond Chandler. Smiling, she reached for the second much larger book and was not surprised to find it was "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell. She smiled and slipped both books into her tote bag, "I'd say we have our books, let's find the beach." Steele let her lead the way to the patio doors. There was white wicker furniture out there along with a small sign indicating the path to the lagoon.

Meanwhile back in the sitting room, the mirror had returned to its mirror state once Steele and Laura left the room. Mildred's hands had been clenched during most of their conversation. The secret was out, what would Mr. Roarke do with this information? How could her little fantasy have blown up so badly around her like this? Mr. Roarke continued to watch the mirror for a few moments before muttering, "Interesting, very interesting." He turned to look at Mildred, "You knew the truth, of course." She nodded, "But only for about a year or so. The first couple of years I worked there, I didn't have a clue. I probably don't know the entire story myself." Mr. Roarke nodded, "And this man named Daniel? Who is he?" Mildred looked away, "Daniel and Mr. Steele used to work jobs together, pulling cons and stealing things. I guess he sort of was a mentor to Mr. Steele, a father-figure. They met when Mr. Steele was a child or early teenager, I think. He keeps trying to pull the Boss back into his old life, but he chooses to stay here." Mr. Roarke nodded, "Yes, it's making sense now. I think this confirms what I suspected, and my plan will work." He stood up and went over to Mildred. "Tonight will be a long night for us both, why don't you use one of the guest rooms here at the main bungalow and rest. We'll have some lunch later and you can return to your bungalow for dinner and to change for tonight." Mildred stood up, "I think that's a good idea. I didn't sleep very well last night." He led the way out into the main room and towards a door that led to a guest room. At the doorway she stopped and looked up at Mr. Roarke, "You will keep their secret, won't you Mr. Roarke? They would be destroyed if the truth came out..." He bent down and took her hand and put a gentle kiss on the back of it, "Rest assured, Mildred, their secret is as safe with me as it is with you." She smiled, feeling better, and went into the room to lay down. Mr. Roarke headed for his study to finish his plans. He was tempted to check on them at the beach, but felt he had invaded their privacy enough for one day.

Laura led the way, while Steele strolled along behind her, keeping her in sight and admiring the way she wore her sarong skirt. Focusing his attention on that helped to stem the anger that had been building towards Daniel. Daniel had asked him several times over the years to leave his life as Remington Steele behind him and return to the life of a professional con artist. He knew it was the reason he continued to call him Harry after repeatedly being told his name was now Remington Steele. He had forgotten about the incident from a couple of years earlier, but obviously Laura had not. Perhaps there was a darker side to his mentor that he had never seen before, or just chose to ignore. Living as a con artist wasn't exactly a squeaky clean way to get by, even though they always tried to avoid injuring anyone physically or financially. Not exactly Robin Hood, as they stole from the rich and kept it for themselves, but they never stole from anyone would couldn't afford the loss.

Why couldn't Daniel understand that he wanted to be here, wanted to be with Laura, wanted her to want to be with him? Hell, why couldn't Laura understand that? He knew Laura had a fear of him leaving her like her father did and like Wilson did. It was that fear that held her back from advancing their relationship, he was sure of it, he just had no clue how to help her get past her fears, any better than he knew how to get past his own fears of committment. He held back a sigh as he saw Laura pause at the end of the path. He caught up to her in a few steps and paused himself looking down at the amazing view. It was a private lagoon with peaceful water, a white sandy beach with a small tent with two chairs already set up next to a cooler. Laura led the way down onto the beach, and they could see a pile of towels sitting next to the cooler. Laura dropped her bag next to one of the chairs, and began to undo the knot of her sarong. Steele walked over to the cooler, and opening it found a selection of fruit juices and fresh fruit, excellent snacking for a day at the beach. He glanced back to tell Laura what he found, but stopped in silence as he saw the sarong fall to the ground and Laura start running down towards the water in her little red bikini. Steele felt his mouth grow dry and dropped the cooler lid with a thud. Laura ran into the water, and as soon as she was deep enough, dove into the water and began swimming strongly. Laura was a good swimmer, she had competed in a triathlon once. Steele thought his heart might have skipped a beat or two at the sight of her running down to the beach in that bikini.

He sat down in the beach chair, debating on whether to join her in the water or let her swim and think in solitude for awhile. Glancing at his wristwatch they had hours yet until dinner that night, there would be plenty of time, giving her time to think might be the safest bet. He pulled his sunglasses out and put them on and settled back on the chair, comfortable in the heat just to relax and allow his body to calm itself down before Laura returned. He had plenty of his own things to think about after their conversation. It was one of the first times he had been able to verbally express something he felt to her, that was something of a breakthrough for him. He wasn't ready to say those three words he knew she wanted to hear, but she knew he cared about her, and wanted her. He knew that, and he tried so hard to show her that. Someday he'd find the courage to put into words what he had been showing in her deed all these years.

Just as he was about to drift off into a light nap, he heard an awkward sounding splash from the water. He sat up with a start and looked wildly around for Laura. For an instant, he felt panic flood through him as he could no longer see her swimming around in the lagoon. After a second, she came back up to the surface, but seemed to be struggling to stay afloat and was calling for help. "HOLD ON LAURA, I'M COMING!" He kicked off his shoes and pulled down his slacks, and ripped his shirt the rest of the way off as he ran towards the water and dove in. He swam towards her as quickly as he could, pausing only to gain his bearings to where she struggled to stay afloat. About 10 strokes before he reached her, she went under and didn't come right back up. "LAURA" he yelled out, before diving down into the depths of the lagoon.


	11. Chapter 9c

Steele took a dozen more strokes and yelled "LAURA!" one more time, treading water and spinning in a circle, looking for any sign of her on the surface of the lagoon. Seeing nothing, he took a deep breath and dove down. Fortunately the water in the lagoon was very clear and it wasn't very deep, and he could see Laura about halfway down in the water, her arms were flailing to try and bring her back up to the surface of the water, and one leg hung loosely beneath her. *Leg cramp* one part of his mind registered while the rest of his mind drove his body downward towards her. Coming up behind her, he wrapped one arm around her waist and ducking his head, started kicking his way back towards the surface, trying to avoid Laura's flailing arms. As they both broke the surface, he situated himself in a back float with Laura laying on her back on top of him. "Laura, I've got you, Laura, it's OK, nod if you're OK, please Laura, please listen to me." All he could hear was her coughing and gasping for air, but she was still conscious, and her hands were grabbing at his arm where it held her around her waist. He allowed her to slide down his body and situated his arm just under her arms and over her breasts and began to kick with his legs and stroke with the other arm back towards the beach. "Nod if you're OK Laura, please be OK, Laura." Her head bounced in a nod as she continued to cough, and she even feebly tried to kick her one good leg to help them get to the beach faster. Steele made sure he kept her head clear of the water as they slowly made their way back towards the beach. As soon as they started getting close, Steele started feeling for the ground beneath them with one of his legs. Once he felt he could stand safely, he swung Laura up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way up the beach towards the chairs and towels. He sat her in one of the chairs and grabbed a towel to throw around Laura's shoulders. He wasn't exactly sure what to do now. As she continued to cough and catch her breath, he began to run his hands up and down the leg that was dangling in the water. He felt a pretty significant leg cramp in her calf and began to massage it with her fingers. Her teeth clenched against the pain. She leaned back in the chair, gripping the arms tightly, still coughing a bit, but seeming to be calming down.

"What happened, Laura? You're such a good swimmer?" She shook her head and hoarsely said, "I have no idea, the water was perfect, I was swimming comfortably and suddenly my leg just seized up on me." He continued to rub at the the muscle until he could feel it start to loosen up. Her coughing had stopped and she was relaxing in the chair, eyes closed. He was concerned that she had passed out for a moment before a contented sigh drifted from her. He couldn't help the grin, a mixture of relief that she didn't appear to be seriously hurt and delight that she was enjoying his impromptu massage. Once he felt the muscle had completely relaxed, he switched his attention over to the other leg. As her eyes drifted open with an unspoken question in them, he said, "Well, can't risk you cramping up on the other side now, can we?" She stared at him for a moment before silently shaking her head and then letting her eyes drift closed.

Laura's heart continued to race in her chest, but for a far different reason that just a few moments ago. The near drowning had scared her to death, as Steele had said, she wasn't a bad swimmer at all, and the lack of stretching properly before running into the water shouldn't have caused such a severe leg cramp. She had no idea what had happened, but now she was just enjoying the feel of his hands on her wet legs, rubbing at the muscles and feeling them relax under his long fingers. Steele spoke softly, "Perhaps I should take you back to the bungalow and we should get a doctor to come check you out." Laura shook her head, "No, I'm fine now, I only stayed under very long that last time and you got to me quickly. I'd rather stay here and enjoy the sun." He nodded, and stood up to take a seat in the other chair, grabbing one of the towels to dry his hair. While his head was buried under the towel he allowed himself to take a gulping breath of air himself. Every time Laura had a near miss, his heart seemed to want to jump right out of his chest. He couldn't help but remember her falling off the beam when they were breaking into the Federal Reserve, or when Carl had shot her in her loft, or knowing she was in the Courtney Doll warehouse alone when he heard that gunshot. He couldn't imagine a life without Laura in it anymore, he didn't even want to try, it hurt too much. This was quite a thing for him to admit to himself, and he quietly dried himself off, lost in his thoughts, wondering if he'd ever find a way to communicate that to Laura.

"Mr. Steele, could you please help me?" Her voice registered at last, and he pulled the towel down to look over at her. She had gotten her suntan oil out and while he had been drying off and lost in his thoughts, had been covering her arms, legs, and the front of her torso with the oil. She had sat up, and was holding out the oil towards him. *She wanted him to put oil on her back.* He nodded, and reached for the oil as she swung her legs around to the other side of the chair so she was facing away from him. She took a deep breath before saying softly, "Couldyou please untie the bottom tie first, I don't want to get a tan line." Steele froze in place for just a second, then reached out with one hand and pulled on the knot, releasing the bottom of her bikini top. She held the top in place with one arm, and he poured a portion of the oil into his hands, warmed it between them, and then began to run his hands up and down Laura's back. He couldn't help but enjoy the view of Laura's naked back as it soaked up the oil. The freckles continued all the way down her back, he had enjoyed the ones visible on her shoulders so often over the years. *Who knew freckles could be such a turn-on?* It was hard to resist leaning forward to place a kiss on one of those enticing freckles. Once he had her back done, he reached up and massaged her shoulders and neck with a little more force. Her near-miss had also impacted her, as she was very tense. She said, "Why don't you let me lay down while you do that?" Steele said softly, "OK". She stood up, and kept her back to him while she laid the towel down on the beach sand next to the chairs. Her movement gave him just a glimpse of the sides of her breasts before she dropped down to her knees on the blanket and laid down on her stomach. He moved over, laid a towel of his own next to her, and took up the massage of her neck and shoulders again. Moments like these were so precious to him; for Laura to be relaxed with him and to allow him this close felt like a gift. After getting her shoulders and neck relaxed, he laid himself down on the towel next to her, carefully arranging himself as comfortably as he could. Being able to touch Laura so intimately had aroused him, and he found it difficult to lay on his stomach, but he didn't dare lay on his back until he got himself back under control. They lay silently side by side on their towels for quite awhile, just soaking in the sun and focusing on their own thoughts.

"Thanks," Laura said softly. He turned to look at her and found her brown eyes staring at him. "You saved me from disaster yet again." He smiled, "Well, if you wouldn't work so hard, you wouldn't get so tight. You should get massages more often so your muscles don't get so bad." He deliberately didn't mention the near-drowning, not wanting to ruin the moment. Laura chuckled, "That's not what I meant, and you darn well know it. Although I will take your suggestion for making time for massages in my schedule under advisement. Now, can you re-fasten my tie so I can roll over?" Steele sat up and reached over and carefully found the two ends of the bikini top and refastened them. "All done." Laura rolled over, let her hands lay down at her sides and closed her eyes. She could feel Steele's eyes roaming over her body, showcased in the little red bikini, and hoped she wouldn't blush. He had given her words, now she felt a need to give him a deed in return. She knew that he would recognize the trust she was showing him by letting him see her so exposed, so vulnerable. She could feel his gaze exploring her body, and goosebumps rose on her arms as she swore she could feel his desire for her in that gaze, even without seeing it. She heard him lay down on his towel next to her, "Don't doze off, Laura, we don't want to show up to our fantasy tonight sunburned and looking like lobsters." She laughed, "Of course not, Mr. Steele." She allowed herself to relax, reliving the conversation in the library word for word. Her mind froze as his left hand found her right hand on the sand in between them, and their fingers intertwined. Steele whispered, "I'm so glad you're all right, Laura, you gave me quite a scare." They were quiet for a few moments before Steele spoke again, "'The Camerman', Buster Keaton, Marceline Day, MGM, 1928." Laura sat up and looked over at him, "What?" Steele tilted his head to meet her eyes, "Buster rescues Sally from almost drowning in a river after a boating accident." Laura flops back down on her towel and starts to laugh, "A movie for every situation, Mr. Steele?" He sits up and lets go of her hand, "Of course, Ms. Holt, mustn't break with tradition, it wouldn't be a Remington Steele case without my cinematic insights, would it?" Laura shook her head as she lay on the towel. "Do you feel up to having some lunch?" She nodded and as he stands, he reaches a hand down to pull her to her feet. He ends up pulling a little harder than necessary, and they end up chest to chest in their bathing suits, just staring up at each other. It was the most skin-on-skin contact they'd ever experienced, and both felt the little jolts of electricity running over their skin where it touched. Laura was the first to step away and head for the cooler. Steele took a deep breath before following her. They pulled out the fruit and drinks and used the cooler as a table as they ate.

As they were finishing eating, Laura couldn't stop herself from yawning. The stress of almost drowning and the soaked up sun had made her sleepy. Steele suggested, "Why don't we head back to the bungalow and take a nap before tonight, eh?" She nodded, and reached for her sarong. Steele cleaned up the area, and as they started heading to the path back to the main bungalow, Steele let one arm curl around Laura's back and rest on her hip. She looked at him questioningly and he said, "In case your leg starts to bother you, we don't want you to fall. I'll be ready to catch you if you fall, Laura." Their eyes met again and his eyes seemed to get even more blue, if that was possible. Laura just nodded, then turned her head away to focus on the path ahead of them. When they got to the main house, they walked around and found the car waiting for them out front. Steele directed her to the passenger seat, "Let's take advantage of the car and get you off of that leg for a bit." Laura nodded and they drove back to their bungalow. Steele left the car out front and made sure Laura made it to her room safely. "I'll set my alarm to 5:30 so we can refresh ourselves before dinner." Laura nodded silently again and went into her room. Steele went into his and jumped into the shower to cool off, literally and figuratively. Grabbing his robe, he set the alarm then laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Laura was tired, but he felt far too wired to sleep now. He couldn't help but remember how it felt to run his hands on Laura's body. Thinking back on it, he could feel his body responding, yet he also felt himself drifting off to an unexpected sleep. Laura also took a quick shower to remove the oil from her body. As she washed herself, she couldn't help but remember how good it felt to have Steele's hands on her. As she threw on a nightgown and crawled into her bed, she knew that they couldn't keep dancing around the sexual tension between them. There was something to this relationship that deserved to be explored and yes, enjoyed and savored if Steele made love the same way he kissed. But how to get past their fears to take that step? It wouldn't be enough for just one of them to be ready, it could scare the other one off. Somehow both of them had to overcome their fears at the same time and both be ready to take that step. How, how how? Laura drifted off to sleep, her last thought feeling Steele's arm holding her up in the water with his long, lean body below hers, and how safe she felt in his arms.


	12. Chapter 10

Steele woke up with a start when the alarm went off at 5:30, he hadn't thought he would fall asleep. He got up from the bed, adjusted his robe to make sure he was decently covered, and then went out into the entryway to Laura's door. He knocked a few times and called out, "Laura? It's 5:30, time to get up and get ready for dinner." He heard her sleepily called, "Coming!" and smiled as he walked back to his room to put some clothes on. He grabbed a pair of shorts and a polo shirt from the closet, before noticing the formal suit of clothes hanging on the inside of the door. *This has to be my clothes for tonight* He looked it over, and it appeared to be very similar to the formal attire that the character Rhett Butler wore. He wondered if Laura's costume would be a period piece as well. He ran a comb through his hair and decided there would be time for a quick shave after dinner, before they left for their fantasy. He stepped back out into the entry way just before 6 o'clock to find dinner waiting on the table as before. He frowned, having not heard anyone come in to deliver the food. Just then, Laura's door opened. She was also dressed casually in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. They showed off her long legs and he couldn't help himself, he had to admire the view as he walked over to her.

"How are you feeling, is your leg alright?" She nodded, "Yes, I feel fine, the nap helped, but I'm really hungry." He pulled out her chair for her and sat down in his chair. "Did you find your costume for tonight?" There was silence from her, and looking over, he saw a blush spreading up her face, "Laura?" She nodded, "Yes, it's in my closet. It's not exactly what I was expecting." He frowned, "You don't like it?" She shook her head, "Oh no, I like it very much, I'm just not sure I would have picked it myself. You'll have to let me know what you think when I come out after changing." He nodded, his mind racing trying to think of what kind of costume would have invoked that kind of reaction in Laura. The dress made with the curtains? It was a fairly simply dinner of soup and salad, with a light wine and chocolate cake for dessert. They both ate well, having had a light lunch. When they finished, they each made their way to their rooms to change into their costumes. "Remember Mr. Steele, Mr. Roarke is picking us up at 8." He nodded, "I'll be ready, Laura."

He pulled the format suit out and went into the bathroom to shave, continuing to ponder what her costume was. He should have asked for a peek before they started changing, his curiousity was driving him mad! He had just finished shaving and was ready to start putting on his costume when there was a tentative knock at his door. He walked over and opened it to reveal a very nervous Laura wrapped in her robe. "Yes, Laura?" She swallowed, "I need some, well, help getting into my dress, I can't do the fastenings up the back by myself." He nodded and suppressed a smile as he followed her back over to her room. A dressing screen had been erected in one corner and she headed behind it. "Let me get the dress on, and then I'll come out so you can fasten the hooks on the back." He stood still, hearing the sound of material moving behind the screen. When she finally emerged, he felt his breath catch. It was an incredible dress, similar to the picnic dress Scarlett wore in the opening scenes. She turned around, and he could see that she had on traditional undergarments, minus the corset, and there was a series of hooks running up the back of the dress. Slowly he reached out for the bottom one and began to work his way up until he reached the top. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around. The blush had returned to her face, but Steele couldn't help but grin at the view. He loved dresses that showed off those wonderful freckles, and this dress was absolutely amazing. He said huskily, "Do you need any other help getting ready? She shook her head and moved back behind the screen, while Steele retreated back to his room, releasing a deep breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. *Could that woman be any more beautiful than that?* He removed the various pieces of his garment from the hanger and began to get dressed. It was amazing, it was as if the suit had been tailor fitted to his body. Fortunately he didn't have any hooks that required assistance, and he found himself looking quite the Civil War era gentleman. At 7:30, he came out, and found a brandy snifter with two glasses now sitting on the dining room table. Taking this as a hint, he poured himself a small measure and sipped at it. Excellent quality, if not his normal beverage of choice. He paced the room, waiting for Laura to emerge.

When she did, she positively took his breath away. She had added elbow length gloves and jewelry to the ensemble, and carried a lacy shawl draped over her shoulders. She paused as she entered the room, and Steele walked up to her, putting his hand beneath her chin, he tilted her face up. "You look magnificent, Laura, absolutely incredible." She smiled, "Well, I hope there isn't going to be any running involved, I feel like I've got 10 pounds of additional fabric in this dress." She laughed and did a small spin in a circle. There was a knock at the door. Steele moved to answer it, and found Mr. Roarke standing there with Mildred behind him. Mildred was dressed more for the late 1930's than the Civil War era. They both entered, Mr. Roarke handing a couple of pieces of paper to Steele. "Here are your tickets to the movie itself." Steele gave them a quick glance before putting them in the pocket of his waistcoat, right over his heart. Mildred stepped forward, "Mr. Roarke is going to put me up in the booth with the projectors, in case someone tries to sabotage the movie." Laura nodded, "That's a great idea." Mr. Roarke said, "After you step through, I'll remain at the entrance until you return to catch anyone who tries to follow you, or stop anyone who comes out who shouldn't have been there to start with. He reached out an arm to Mildred, "Now, shall we go?" This left Steele to offer an arm to Laura. She rearranged the shawl over her shoulders and around her arms, then took Steele's arm to go out to the car. Steele said, "We're not going out to the cave again, are we? Laura can't wait very far or fast in this dress." Mr. Roarke shook his head as he put Mildred in the front seat next to him, "No, I've set up the portal back at the main bungalow." It was a quiet drive, each lost in their own thoughts.

When they arrived, he led them into the sitting room where he and Mildred had spoken earlier that day, and indicated a dark wooden door on the opposite wall. "That is the portal. The two of you will need to go through first to arrive in the crowd outside the theater, then I'll redirect it to the projection room for Ms. Krebs to go through." Steele and Laura nodded, and she took his arm again and they headed for the door. Steele opened it and they walked through together into the fog they found behind it without any hesitation. The door closed behind them, and Mildred gave a big sigh, her nerves showing. Mr. Roarke patted her arm, "Don't worry, Mildred, this will work, trust me. Let's go." They now approached the door and walked through together into the mist.

Steele and Laura emerged in the middle of a crowd lining the sidewalk leading up to the theater. There were members of the press and fans of the movie milling about in the crowd. An aisle from the street had been cordoned off for the stars of the movie to attend the premiere. Steele leanded down and said in Laura's ear, "Try to stay close, Laura, we don't to get separated in this crowd." Laura nodded, looking around her. They moved around to a small hill with a tree, giving them the ability to see over the crowd. They watched the stars of the movie come down the path. Suddenly, a man's voice ran out above the crowd, "Long Live the Confederacy!" and gunfire ran out. The crowd began to scream and scatter. As people ran by them, Steele grabbed onto the tree with one arm and tried to keep a hold of Laura with the other, but the power of the crowd pulled her away from him. "LAURA!" He yelled after her as she was swept away by the crowd.

Across the street, Mr. Roarke and Mildred stood under a street lamp. As the gunfire ran out, Mr. Roarke said softly, "Now it begins." As they were watching, the scene appeared to split into two in front of them. He continued to speak softly, "Now Mr. Steele is in the scene to the left, and a doppleganger Ms. Holt has been added to the scene. On the right is Ms. Holt with a doppleganger Mr. Steele. Now we'll let it play out."

_**Remington's POV**_

Steele kept yelling after her, not wanting to leave the shelter of the tree. He could see the impacts of the bullets in the ground in front of him. Finally, he saw Laura running back towards him through the crowd. He stepped away from the tree to get her attention, yelling, "LAURA!" She stopped and looked towards him, and changed direction. Suddenly another shot rang out, and Steele stared in horror as Laura jerked with the impact of the bullet hitting her in the back. She stumbled a couple of steps and mouthed "Rem-ing-ton" before collapsing to her knees and then falling face first on the ground. "NOOOOOOOO" he screamed and started to run towards her, but the ground was suddenly covered in fog and he felt himself being pulled back towards Fantasy Island.

_**Laura's POV**_

Laura felt herself being pulled away from Steele and the tree by the crowd as they scattered at the sounds of the gunshots. Laura felt herself being hampered by the dress, it was hard to maintain her feet. How she didn't fall, she didn't know. She got all turned around in the crowd and lost track of where Steele was. She remembered there was a tree, and fortunately there was only the one tree in the area, so she had a target to aim for. Finally the crowd opened up in front of her, and she could see Steele standing under the tree looking for her. "MR. STEELE!" She yelled and ran as best she could in her dress towards him. She stopped in shock as she saw a bullet hit him in the chest. He mouthed "Laura" as he fell to his knees and then fell face first on the ground. "NOOOOOOOOOO" she screamed and tried to move towards him, but the ground was suddenly covered in fog and she felt herself being pulled back towards Fantasy Island.


	13. Chapter 11

**_Remington's POV_**

Steele stumbled out of the fog and into the sitting room back in the main bungalow on Fantasy Island. The large wooden door closed behind him with a thud. He looked around the room wildly, but saw only Mr. Roarke; no sign of Mildred or Laura. "Mr. Roarke, what the bloody hell happened? Why did you pull me back? Laura's hurt!" Mr. Roarke looked at him, surprised, "What are you doing back here, I didn't pull you back, what happened?" Steele began to pace, taking off the jacket of his outfit and throwing it over the back of a chair, "There was a sniper outside the theater. The crowd was running around like mad and Laura..." he paused and stopped to look at Mr. Roarke, the fear barely under control, but visible in his eyes, "Laura was shot in the back as she was making her way back to me. I need to go back, re-open the portal!" Mr. Roarke turned and focused his attention on the door, and opened it, but there was only a closet beyond the door, no fog appeared. Mr. Roarke frowned, "Someone must have re-directed the portal elsewhere, if you were pulled back, Ms. Krebs and Ms. Holt probably were as well and came out wherever the portal was redirected to. I'll track it down, I promise you. No one entered the portal here, and no one but you has exited." He turned to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Return to your bungalow and rest, and I'll let you know when I've found them, and I will find them." Steele looked ready to argue, but the stress of the evening's events seemed to hit him all at once. His shoulders slumped, he nodded, and he walked out of the sitting room. Something felt so wrong about this whole thing, it tickled the back of Steele's mind, but he was too overwhelmed by it all to pay attention to the tickle. He exited the bungalow to find a gentle rain falling. He stuck his hands into his pockets and began walking back to his bungalow through the rain, his head hanging down.

Mr. Roarke watched him leave the room, and then reached over to pick up the jacket he had left behind, the unused tickets still tucked away in the pocket.

**_Laura's POV_**

Laura stumbled out of the fog and into the entry way back in her bungalow and into the arms of an anxious Mildred. "Ms. Holt, what happened? How did we get back here, and where is the boss?" Laura looked around wildly for a moment, "He didn't come back through with me?" Mildred shook her head, "I came through just before you did, and he doesn't appear to be here, at least he isn't answering me when I called." Laura threw the shawl off of her shoulders and onto one of the chairs and headed for Steele's bedroom door, which stood open. "Mr. Steele?" She turned on the light and looked around. Everything was neat and tidy, no sign of him. She walked back into the entry way and a distraught Mildred. "Mildred, what happened to you?" Mildred turned away from her, "Well, just a few minutes after I got there, I heard the sound of gunfire and people yelling and screaming. I tried to make my way towards the noise to find out what was going on when this fog rose up, and I walked through the door there and it closed behind me. I called out for you guys, and was just turning around to open the door when it opened by itself and you came through." Laura nodded and walked over to her, "Mildred, there was a sniper outside taking shots at the crowd. Mr. Steele and I got separated in the chaos. I was making my way back to him when, I'm sorry Mildred, I think he was hit." Mildred turned around, her eyes wide. "Oh no, where is he? How bad was it?" Laura shook her head, not wanting to tell Mildred that she saw him shot in the chest. "I was too far away to tell how serious it was, but then the fog rose up and pulled me back here." She went over to the door and pulled it open. There was only the front steps in front of her, and a gentle rain falling. She shook her head, and went over to the phone. Picking it up, she frowned, "The line is dead. We need to find Mr. Roarke and find out where Mr. Steele is." Mildred nodded, and watched as Laura seemed to wilt in front of her. "Honey, you're exhausted, why don't you change and lie down. I'll head up to the main house to let Mr. Roarke know you're here and OK and what happened." Laura nodded, and walked towards her bedroom. She was still in disbelief at what she had seen. This must be how Steele had felt that time he saw Carl shoot her in her loft. Not knowing where he was or how badly he was hurt was an almost physical pain in her chest. *He can't be... No, I won't even think that.* She stopped, "Mildred, can you undo the hooks on this dress? I'll never get out of it by myself." Mildred came over and released the hooks that Steele had just fastened for her a short time earlier. She held the dress up and entered her room. Everything was exactly how she left it. She let the dress drop, pulling off the undergarments and putting on one of her most comfortable nightgowns, she tumbled into bed. She couldn't imagine falling asleep with so much unknown, yet she felt herself drifting away.

Mildred waited until Laura had closed the door to her room, picked up the shawl from the chair in the entryway as the front door opened, and Mr. Roarke entered with a few wisps of fog. "Did she arrive safely?" Mildred nodded, and handed him the shawl. Mr. Roarke spoke softly, "Mr. Steele did as well, and he's headed back to his bed. I'll prepare this for the next phase of our plan, let me use the portal to send you back to your bungalow so you don't get wet." Mildred nodded, and when Mr. Roarke pulled open the front door it was filled with the familiar fog. She walked through and into the front door of her bungalow. She headed straight for the bedroom and prepared for bed. She hated lying to Ms. Holt and the boss - but she was convinced that Mr. Roarke's method was the only way for them to admit their feelings for each other, and act upon them. But that didn't make it any easier. Mr. Roarke shut the door, muttered under his breath, and then exited Laura's bungalow through another wall of fog.

**_Remington's POV_**

Steele awoke the next morning, not remembering for a moment where he was, before sitting upright in bed, "LAURA!" He jumped out of bed and ran over to the door to the entry way, and made his way to the door to her room. It remained ajar, just the way she left it the night before. Her things were strewn about the room, and her nightgown lay over her bed. She hadn't returned to the bungalow the night before at all. He turned and looked at the breakfast for one sitting on the dining room table, looking for a note but finding none. He made his way back to his room and saw the pile of wet clothing laying in a heap on the floor next to his bed. He must have been in shock when he returned to the bungalow the night before. He got dressed quickly, planning on heading up to the main bungalow right away. As he came into the entry way, his stomach rumbled at the smell of breakfast. He sighed, and moved towards the table. He would eat quickly, but then was going to help Mr. Roarke in whatever way he could to find Laura. *She couldn't be... No I'm not going to think that way, she has to be all right, she just has to be!* After he finished his breakfast, he headed out the front door and began walking towards the main bungalow to get some answers.

**_Laura's POV_**

Laura awoke the next morning, not remembering for a moment where she was, before sitting upright in bed, "MR. STEELE!" She jumped out of bed and ran over to the door to the entry way, and made her way to the door to his room. It remained ajar, just the way he left it the night before. The room was still neat and tidy and his pajamas lay over his bed. He hadn't returned to the bungalow the night before at all. She turned and looked at the breakfast for one sitting on the dining room table, looking for a note but finding none. She made her way back to her room and saw the pile of clothing that was her costume laying in a heap on the floor next to her bed. She got dressed quickly, planning on heading up to the bungalow right away. As she came into the entry way, her stomach rumbled at the smell of breakfast. She sighed, and moved towards the table. She would eat quickly, but then was going to help Mr. Roarke in whatever way she could to find Mr. Steele. *He has to be all right, I have to keep believing that he's all right.* She picked up the phone, but there was still no dial tone. She was just finishing her breakfast when there was a knock at the front door. She moved over to open it, still nibbling on a piece of toast, and found Mildred there. "Ms. Holt, did he come back at all last night?" Laura shook her head no, and waved Mildred inside. Mildred looked so distraught, Laura couldn't help but worry about her. *She loves him like a son, this has to be scaring her as much as it does me.* "Let me finish getting something to eat, and we'll head up to the main house and talk to Mr. Roarke." Mildred nodded and poured herself a cup of coffee to drink while she waited for Laura to finish eating.

**_Remington's POV_**

Steele walked briskly towards the main bungalow. That tickling sensation was back, his mind was trying to tell him something wasn't right. *Well of course its not right, Laura's missing and I saw her get shot right in front of me!* But somehow that wasn't what his mind was trying to tell him. He focused on walking as quickly as he could up to the main house and knocked on the front door. There was a long pause, before a tired Mr. Roarke opened the door. Steele froze on the threshold of the room, not liking the look in the other man's eyes. "Come in, Mr. Steele, I was just going to come to find you. Come into the sitting room." Steele followed him into the room, and he sat down in one of the chairs. "Did you have any luck finding the portal?" Mr. Roarke nodded, "Yes, the portal had been redirected twice, once to Ms. Krebs' bungalow and then to the cave where I sent you to your fantasy. As soon as the rain let up, I made my way there. This is all I found at the cave." He reached down to the table that was behind the sofa, and picked up a black shawl. Steele recognized it right away as the shawl Laura had been wearing as part of her costume. When Mr. Roarke handed it to him and he opened it up, he saw right away that there was now a hole in the middle of the shawl like a shotgun blast, and the black lace was covered in red... red blood... Laura's blood. "NO!" He shouted and balled the shawl up in his hands. He got up and began to pace, "There was no other sign of her at all?" Mr. Roarke spoke softly, "The rain washed the ground clean, I found the shawl just inside the cave where it was protected from the rain. There is a path from that cave down to one of the waterfalls. I walked along it, and found this." He reached down to the table again and picked up a shoe. Steele thought it looked like the slipper-like shoe Laura had worn as part of her costume. Mr. Roarke continued, "There were a couple of broken branches with strips of fabric on them as well, it appears she was dragged down to the waterfalls and... thrown over." Steele fell back into the chair and folded into a ball over the shawl, the shock hitting him so hard. He said in a hoarse whisper, "Laura is dead?" Mr. Roarke walked over and laid a hand on Steele's shoulder, "I have people searching the area under the falls, but the currents there are unpredictable. I'm so very sorry, Mr. Steele."

Steele looked up at Mr. Roarke with unshed tears filling his eyes, "It can't be, it just can't be, there was so much I never said to her, questions left unanswered, so much left unsaid and undone." Mr. Roarke squeezed his hand on Steele's shoulder, "I'm so sorry. Feel free to stay here until the search is completed. In the meantime, you'll have the privacy of the house, why don't you use it to say goodbye to her, and say those things you always wanted to tell her. After all, this is Fantasy Island." Mr. Roarke moved towards the exit to the room, and Steele broke down in tears over the shawl. How long he cried, he didn't know, but when he finally raised his head, he saw an etheral form sitting on the sofa across from him. "Laura!" It appeared that Fantasy Island was giving him one last chance to speak to her.

**_Laura's POV_**

Laura and Mildred walked towards the main bungalow. Everything has a fresh look to it, the path looking like it hadn't been driven on, the plants untouched. Laura figured it was an effect of the rain from the previous night. As they approached the main house, they saw Mr. Roarke approaching it from a path leading off into the jungle. He was carrying a bundle in his arms and looked very sad. Laura ran up to him, "Mr. Roarke, did you find Mr. Steele?" He nodded and led the way into the house and into the sitting room. "Ladies, please sit down and let me tell you what we found." Laura and Mildred both sat down on the sofa, while Mr. Roarke remained standing in front of them before setting his bundle down on an end table. "After Mildred told me what happened, I started a search to determine how the portal had been re-directed to your bungalow. I found that it had also been re-directed to a nearby cave, the same cave I had used for sending Mr. Steele on his fantasy. Once the rain let up, I made my way there. Inside the cave, I found this." He reached down and picked up the bundle of cloth and handed it to Laura. She recognized it as a jacket similiar to the one that Steele had worn as part of his costume. Opening it up, she and Mildred both gasped at the hole in the front of the jacket and the obvious blood stains. Mildred stuttered, "Maybe it's not his, maybe it's a coincidence..." Laura slowly flipped the side of the jacket open, and there tucked inside the front pocket were two tickets for the "Gone With the Wind" premiere, right where she had seen him put them when Mr. Roarke had delivered them the night before. She swallowed hard against the lump that formed in her throat, "No, it's his." She looked up at Mr. Roarke with unshed tears in her eyes, "What else did you find?" Mr. Roarke paced, "The rain had washed away any signs, but there is a path from that cave down to a waterfall. I walked up that path and found broken branches and fabric caught up them as well as this." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a gold pocketwatch. He handed it over to Laura, and again Laura recognized it as part of the costume Steele had been wearing. She closed her hands around the watch, "So you think his body was thrown over the falls?" Mildred gasped, and Laura reached out her other hand to take one of Mildred's. Mr. Roarke nodded, "I have people searching the area below the falls, but the currents there are unpredictable. I'm so very sorry, Ms. Holt and Ms. Krebs."

Mildred began to shake, "It can't be, I can't believe he's gone!" She got up and ran out of the room. Both Mr. Roarke and Laura watched her leave. Mr. Roarke said, "I'll go after her, she's obviously quite distraught." Laura sniffled, "I can't believe this, there was so much I never got to say to him, questions left unanswered, so much left unsaid and undone between us." Mr. Roarke came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm so sorry. Feel free to stay here until the search is completed. In the meantime, you'll have the privacy of the house, why don't you use it to say goodbye to him, and say those things you always wanted to tell him. After all, this is Fantasy Island." Mr. Roarke moved towards the exit to the room, and Laura broke down in tears over the jacket, crying as hard as she had when her house had been destroyed. This time, though, she didn't have Xenos to comfort her. How long she cried, she didn't know, but when she finally raised her head, she saw an etheral form sitting on the sofa across from her. "Mr. Steele!" It appeared that Fantasy Island was giving her one last chance to speak to him.


	14. Chapter 12

_(Author's Note: Thank you for the patience of my readers who had to wait awhile for this chapter. This is obviously the climax of my story, and therefore I wanted to get it just right. However, it is also a hard chapter to write, because I personally know what it's like to lose someone you love. This chapter is dedicated to the loving memory of my husband, Dave, who died on July 13, 2006. I'm very grateful that we were blessed with an opportunity to express our love for each other, and only regret that it was cut short far too soon.)_

**_Laura's POV_**

Laura just stared at the ghostly figure for a long time. He was dressed fairly casually for Steele, a pair of dark slacks and a white dress shirt, the top few buttons undone, revealing that thick black hair on his chest that makes a woman want to pet him like a puppy. He smiled slightly at her in that way that Steele often would right before he was going to tease her about something, and she felt like crying her eyes out all over again. She sighed, and looked back down at the jacket and the watch that rested in her lap. *Even if its just an image of him, I can't say what I want to say while looking at him. I'm such a coward.* When she began to speak, it was softly, barely over a whisper, but it carried well in the empty room.

"Mr. Steele, there are so many things I have wanted to say to you over the years, but never found the courage to do so. Now, I've lost the chance to ever say them to your face. I guess I'll have to settle for saying them to your spirit." She glanced up once, and the "ghost" leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, looking at her intensely. It was a familiar pose for him when they were concentrating on a case. She looked back down into her lap and took a deep breath before continuing.

"First, I want to say thank you for coming into my life. After Wilson left me, I threw myself completely into my work to compensate and to try and cover up the pain I was feeling. I became a workaholic with no time or inclination for a social life, and I tried to bury that "Wild and Crazy" side of myself forever so it wouldn't drive away anyone else I cared about. Then you came along, and you slowly brought it back to life. In a way, you brought me back to life. That scared me, because I didn't want to drive you away too, because you mattered to me. You slipped past all of my defenses like a true master thief, and snuck your way into my heart. You made me realize that there was more to life than just work, and that business and pleasure can be mixed. It wasn't easy for either of us, we both have real issues with trusting other people. Our fears held us back for so long. Every time we would take a step forward in our personal relationship, we'd retreat two steps backwards. I was attracted to you the moment I met you as "Ben Pearson" in the office. Even when I found out you were a fraud, that didn't stop my attraction in the least. It didn't even matter that I didn't know your real name, you became my Remington Steele and you embraced the role like you probably did every role you've had in your life. When we were in Mexico on that first case with Mildred and you told me you cared for me, it made my heart race with excitement and my mind race with fear. If I let myself care for you, would you walk out of my life like my father did, like Wilson did? I didn't know. You were right, I was wanting guarantees, but there are never guarantees like that in life. I should know that after being in this business for so many years." She paused to catch her breath and collect her thoughts.

"Second, I want to tell you that," she swallowed, "I love you." There is a long pause while she lets those words just hang in the air for a few moments. She couldn't help herself, but looked up and met his eyes. They were staring wide at her, with such a tender look in their blue depths. She continued to meet his gaze, entranced by his eyes, and continued to speak. "Remember at the spa during that argument where I said relationships needed words? It wasn't fair of me to expect you to say the words I wanted to hear, when I was too afraid to be the one to say them first. You were probably just as scared of saying them as I was. Hell, from what I know of your childhood, you never had a lot of experience being loved or giving love, of course it would scare you. Instead you were constantly showing me how you felt, but it was never enough. I never let it be enough, because I had convinced myself that you had to say the words for it to be real. Which is so silly. My father said he loved me, and he left. Wilson said he loved me, and he left. You never said you loved me, but... you stayed. Why couldn't I accept that you stayed because you loved me, and that you were saying the words silently, with your deeds? Just like you told me on the beach. I always expected you to change, to meet my expectations and my demands, and I was never willing enough to compromise and meet you halfway. I was so selfish."

She dropped her gaze back down to the jacket. "Walking along that beach, we both agreed that we wanted to move this relationship forward, but what have we done to accomplish that since then? Nothing. Neither of us knew how to move forward so we remained stuck where we were. That was so unfair of me, and now - I've lost the chance to make it up to you. The only time you ever left was because I pushed you away, and even then you tried to do something for me - you tried to find your real name." Laura looked up now at the image of Steele, still staring at her from his seat on the sofa. "But you see, it doesn't matter anymore what your name was in the past, what your name was at birth, or what identities you used in the past. What matters to me is who you are right now - and for four years you have been Remington Steele and that is your name now." The image of Steele tilted his head to the side and nodded once at her.

Laura gave a harsh laugh, and looked up towards the ceiling. "God, I'm so sorry for wasting the time we had together. Every kiss, every touch, was so beautiful, so wonderful, and should have been building up to so much more. You felt the electricity between us right from the beginning too, I know you did. But ever the gentleman, even when you could have taken advantage of my defenses being down, you respected me too much to do so. You remember, when my house blew up, and during the Perennial case. Why couldn't I have seen that was also done out of love for me? How could I have been so blind? I guess hiding behind my defenses I didn't allow myself to think that you might feel any of the same feelings for me that I had for you. It was easier to pretend otherwise. But when we would kiss - I couldn't pretend then. Then something would happen and my defenses would be thrown back up - Daniel or Felicia or someone else from your past would show up. There were times I was so jealous of Daniel's relationship with you, and afraid he would draw you back into his world. You reassured me every time he'd show up that it wouldn't happen, and I wanted to believe you, but deep down inside of me, one little voice kept saying it could happen. Daniel can be so very persuasive; you learned from a Master in that."

She shook her head before looking back down at the jacket and watch, "How will Mildred and I move on without you? The four months you were gone was a living hell for both of us, running the Agency without you just wasn't the same. As much as the Agency means to me, it doesn't mean anything if you're not a part of it." She looked up at his image, her jaw dropping a bit at the realization of what she had just said. "You're more important to me than the Agency, Mr. Steele. The Agency that was my dream my whole life - it doesn't mean anything if you're not there to share it with me. How can I possibly go back to an empty dream? All I want is for you to be at my side where you belong, solving cases, quoting those damn movies at me left and right, and reminding me how much pleasure can be found in life. Why did you have to be taken away from me, Mr. Steele?" Laura looked right at him as she made this impassioned plea. Steele could only shrug in reply. Laura gave another harsh laugh, "God, even now I can't even think of you as Remington without picturing that damn typewriter. Why did I have to pick such a fancy 0sounding first name for you, one that wouldn't roll off the tongue when you're speaking to a real person?" She sighed, "I wonder if you would have liked being called Remington. I couldn't call you Remy, that just sounds too High School for someone as sophisticated as you. Do you remember right after you showed up, you told me to pick a name for you, and I said Harry, because you looked like a Harry? I had no idea that was what Daniel called you, hadn't met him yet, but it did fit. Well, after meeting him, I just couldn't call you Harry because that was his name for you. I wish we could have come up with a good middle name for Remington Steele that you picked out, and I could have called you that. It's hard to take a relationship forward if you aren't on a first name basis with the person you love."

She ran her hand over the fine fabric of the jacket, "Of course, calling you Mr. Steele all the time helped me to try and keep you an arms-length away from me. Even after all your reassurances and comforts, I just couldn't seem to let my fears go, and now look what they've cost me. A chance to find out if you loved me back, and maybe the best damn relationship of my life. We worked together so well, I just know we could have made a personal relationship work too if we could have overcome our fears. Something wonderful - lost without ever being experienced. It's not right. I know Mildred would have been cheering us on all the way, she loves you so much. I think she really feels like a mother to you, this is just going to tear her apart. It hurt her so much when you disappeared. This will be so much worse for both of us. At least before, we had the hope, however slim, that you'd come home to us. We'll have each other to comfort, but I've lost something so precious to me, and you possibly never knew that. Maybe you knew, even though I couldn't say it, maybe my deeds were enough to let you know I cared. I just don't know, and now I'll never know!"

She held the jacket up to her nose, and she could still smell Steele's cologne. She began to cry again, "I'm so sorry I never told you these things when I had the chance. I robbed us both of so much. Please forgive me." She breathed in deeply, savoring the smell of his scent on the jacket. It was a surprise that the smell of his blood didn't overpower it. Her head came up with a jerk, and she looked down at the jacket again. There was no coppery scent of blood coming from the jacket at all - just the clean smell of Steele himself. Even if the blood had dried completely, there should still be a slight trace of an odor on the fabric. She looked over at the ghost of Steele with a look of confusion on her face, mumbling "Why can't I smell the blood on your jacket?", just in time to see him begin to fade from view. "No wait, don't go!" She reached out a hand towards him as he faded completely. Looking back down, she saw the blood stains on the jacket begin to fade away as well as the hole from the bullet. Her mind racing with what it might mean, she began to rise from her seat when the mirror in front of her began to shimmer. Her attention was riveted to it as the image changed from a reflection of her in the sitting room to a window into another room. She came to her feet completely, and her mouth dropped as the image solidified back into the sitting room - but instead of her sitting in the chair, Mr. Steele was sitting on the same chair, holding something black in his lap.

She dropped back into her chair and hugged the jacket to her, as she heard Steele begin to speak.

**_Remington's POV_**

Steele stared at Laura's image for a long time, soaking it in as if she was really there. She was dressed casually in tan slacks and a white blouse, with her hair pulled back like she does when she's in a hurry. She's smiling that special smile that is half smirking at him, usually after he's made a particularly witty comment. As he stared at her, his hand began to stroke at the shawl laying in his lap. The yarn around the hole was unravelling under his touch, and soon he was stroking soft strands of yarn, reminding him of the softness of Laura's lovely hair. He was experiencing a touch of deja vu, flashing back to the time Laura was shot in her loft apartment. This time, she only had a black shawl to protect her instead of a bullet proof jacket. There would be no second chance. All of those things he had said then he wanted to say - he had never gotten the courage to say to her face. The tears began to run down his cheeks as images of her falling in her loft and falling on the grassy ground mix in his head, the last moment that he saw her alive.

"Oh Laura Love, why couldn't we get this thing between us figured out before it all went wrong, eh?" Steele's Irish accent was more pronounced than normal, as usually happened when he was particularly upset. He shook his head, and forced himself to meet the spirit's eyes as he spoke. "By God, I was too afraid to say these things to your face, I will find the strength somewhere to say them to your spirit while I have the chance. You deserve at least that much from me." He took several deep breaths, clenched his hands on the shawl and then began to speak softly, his voice breaking now and then.

"First of all, thank you for the wonderful gift of a life that you gave me. You didn't have to let me stay as Remington Steele when I stepped into his shoes, but despite Murphy and Bernice's comments and probably your own concerns, you chose to give me a chance and let me stay, and I'm so very grateful for that opportunity. I've tried to make the most of it. I've not been perfect, I'm only human, but I've tried to live up to the standard you had in mind when you created the part of Remington Steele. Some of it came so easy to me; suave, debonaire, classy dresser, excellent manners, all of the qualities Daniel instilled in me to make me a good con man. A lot of the rest of it came from you. I learned so much the past four years, not just about being a detective, but about being part of a life that contains other people. I never stayed in one place long enough to make many friends, and I have no family to speak of besides Daniel. I have only a few friends like Felicia and Monroe from my old life. Since I met you, I got a mother figure in Mildred, and your sister and brother-in-law welcome me like I'm part of the family too. You made me feel normal for the first time in my life. I have a home to go to every day, I can buy things that don't have to fit in a small satchel, ready for a quick getaway to a new country. This is the kind of life I only dreamed about having, and you made it possible for me to achieve that dream. I'm so grateful, and I know I never told you often enough how much I appreciate this life you've given me, and that you are a part of it."

Steele looked down at the shawl, remembering how beautiful Laura had been in her costume as they headed for the movie premiere. "We always made such a stunning couple. I was always so proud to have you on my arm when we'd go out. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever met, Laura." He looked back up to see her still smiling, but sadly, and shaking her head in disagreement with him. "No, Laura, you are. Beautiful inside and out. You're not a brainless blonde bimbo who fills out a dress but can't carry on a decent conversation. You have the body of an athlete, an incredibly sharp mind and witty personality, and you feel so good in my arms. You fit there so well. Every time we'd touch, hug, or kiss, I could feel this connection building with you, and I didn't know how to handle it. I'd never felt anything like that before, I never stayed with one woman long enough to have it happen, perhaps. But what we had was special, so special, and so precious. But I didn't know what to do. I couldn't give you what you wanted, I didn't know how to say it. I mean, I know the words, but it's one thing to say them, but another one to really feel them and really mean them in your heart. For the first time in my life, I felt it and meant it, and it scared me so much that I couldn't say it. But Laura, you deserved to hear it, because it's the truth. I love you, Laura Holt. You are my other half, the one I've been searching for my whole life without even knowing it. You are Home to me now. Home is not just a flat with a nice kitchen and all my favorite movies on video. You became Home to me, Laura, and now I've lost my Home. What am I going to do without you, Laura?" He looked up at her face with this impassioned plea, and Laura could only shrug at him, a sad expression on her face.

"Mildred and I will be there for each other, but the Agency, God, how could we work at the Agency that you created, that you built, without you there? My name is on the door, but without you, it's an empty shell. I can't imagine trying to work a case without you, we're a team. We compliment each other so well, that's what made us so successful. No one else can do that for me. No one else would come through the connecting door and look at me and scold me when I did something wrong with that perfect, 'Mr. Steele' of yours." He laughed, shaking his head, more tears starting to fall down his cheeks. "God, Laura, after all this time, you never could bring yourself to even call me Remington, how could we take this relationship forward if you couldn't call me by my name?"

The tickle that had been in the back of his mind jumped to the front of his mind as he said this. He replayed in his mind the memory of Laura being shot, and her calling out "Rem-ing-ton" as she fell to the ground. His eyes grew wide as he looked at Laura's spirit. "You never call me Remington, why would you call out 'Remington' when you had been shot?" Laura smiled, and clasped her hands in her lap as her image began to fade. "Don't go!" He reached towards her as she faded away completely. He looked down at the shawl in his lap, and saw the hole and the blood was fading from view. The shawl was restored as if it had never been damaged. *What did this mean?*

Suddenly, the image in the mirror in front of him began to waver. He sat there staring at the mirror until the image solidified, and gasped in surprise. It was the sitting room, but he saw Laura sitting in the very chair he was in, with a pile of black fabric sitting in her lap, with something gold sitting on top of it. As he watched in surprise, he heard her begin to softly speak, facing towards the sofa. "Mr. Steele, there are so many things I have wanted to say to you over the years...."

**_Laura's POV_**

Tears ran down Laura's cheeks as she listened to Steele pour out his heart, probably speaking to an image of herself sitting on the sofa, just as she had spoken to an image of Steele. One part of her mind was assembling the pieces to the puzzle, but the majority of her was completely focused on Steele's words of love, words she had longed to hear for so long from his lips. When he spoke about her calling him Remington when she had been shot, things started to make more sense. When he began to stare right at her through the mirror, everything fell into place. Steele wasn't dead, he was somewhere else, in another sitting room, and he had thought SHE was dead. They had been fooled into thinking the other dead to allow them to speak from the heart the way they never could in person. Part of her was angry at whomever was behind this, but part of her was also grateful. If she had been allowed to hear what he had to say, chances are that he had also been able to hear what she had to say. Maybe this would finally be the catalyst they needed to move the relationship forward. She stood up, "Where is he? How do I get to him? Please... I need to see he's really alive, please show me!" The image in the mirror wavered again, before resolving itself to the beach and lagoon where they had gone for their picnic the day before. Once Laura recognized this, she dropped the jacket to the floor. She ran for the patio doors, opened them, and spotting the sign, started running towards the beach, and hopefully, the man she loved.

**_Remington's POV_**

Steele sat in shock listening to Laura's confession and profession of love for him. When she asked about the blood on the jacket, things began to make sense to him. It wasn't his Laura that he saw shot, because she wouldn't call him Remington. Someone had tricked him into thinking she was dead, and someone did the same thing in reverse to her. Somewhere on this island was another sitting room, and his Laura was sitting there. His eyes widened. If he was able to hear what she wanted to say to him, then she probably was going to get to hear what he had said as well. He stood up, "Where is she? How do I get to her? Please, I need to see she's really alive, please show me!" The image in the mirror wavered again, before resolving itself to the beach and lagoon where they had gone for their picnic the day before. Once Steele recognized this, he dropped the shawl to the floor. He ran for the patio doors, opened them, and spotting the sign, started running towards the beach, and hopefully, the woman he loved.


	15. Chapter 13

**_Remington's POV_**

Steele ran along the path, remembering that just 24 hours before he and Laura had wandered down this exact same path to the beach. What a wild and crazy 24 hours it had been for them! He just prayed that he had put the pieces together correctly and that Laura would be down at the beach waiting for him. Having heard what was in her heart through that strange mirror, and having finally opened up what was in his, he desperately wanted to say those things to her face, and hear them from her own lips as well. He broke out of the jungle onto the beach. Everything was exactly the same as it was the day before, two beach chairs next to a small pavillion, quiet except for the birds in the trees and the occassional lapping of the water. He looked around but saw no sign of her. *What if I was wrong, what if it was just wishing thinking that she was alive?* He wanted to call out to her, but was afraid he wouldn't get a response. He slowly sat on the edge of one of the beach chairs, staring out into the water of the lagoon before putting his head down in his hands in despair.

**_Laura's POV_**

Laura ran along the path, quickly realizing that it was totally different from the path that she and Steele had walked along just 24 hours earlier. *The house I just left isn't the same main house I was at yesterday, I have to have been on a different part of the island!* She slowed down a little bit, not wanting to fall or injure herself by running too fast along an unfamiliar path. As she moved, she kept praying that she was correct that this was all some sort of bad dream they had been subjected to. *A bad dream, or a fantasy?* She almost stopped running as she realized that probably was exactly what had happened. This was all part of someone's fantasy. She had no idea who or why, but she would find out once she found her man. *Her man? Oh love the sound of that!* She picked up the pace as she began to see a thinning of the jungle until she emerged onto the beach. She was on the opposite side of the lagoon from where she and Steele had been the day before. She could see the pavillion and the chairs, and she saw him immediately, sitting on the end of one of the beach chairs, his head in his hands. He was dressed the same as the ghostly Steele had been, in dark slacks and a white shirt. She took a deep breath and yelled, "REMINGTON!" For the first time ever, she didn't picture a typewriter when she said the word, but instead saw a pair of intense blue eyes under a head of thick black hair. She saw his head jerk up, and he slowly came to his feet. She began to wave frantically at him, to make sure he could see her. She kicked off her shoes, grabbed them in one hand, and then dove into the water and began to swim across the lagoon.

Steele stood up, thinking that it was another figment of his imagination because his Laura never called him Remington. *His Laura? Love the sound of that, if only...* He walked towards the edge of the water, never moving his gaze from the slim woman quickly making her way across the lagoon. Once she got close enough to the shore to walk, she stood up, and he caught his breath. Her wet clothes clung to her body like a second skin. She looked just like the ghostly image he had spoken to, and he thought this was another mirage, a delusion conjured up in his mind because he couldn't face losing Laura. She bounded out of the water, dropping her shoes on the sand, and threw herself towards him. His arms automatically came up to catch her, and her lips met his in a fiery, passionate kiss that could only be his Laura. He kissed her back with all the fear of losing her, the joy of finding her again, and the love in his heart.

Eventually they had to pull back and breathe again. She kept her hands wound around his neck, and her body plastered to his, feeling his desire for her against body. She was gasping for breath as she spoke, "You're alive, you're really alive, Remington, I knew it!" His joyous look fell and he began to frown, trying to push her away from him. "Laura never calls me Remington, you're just another illusion!" She shook her head and pulled herself back to him, "I never called you Remington before because I kept picturing that damn typewriter, and I wanted to keep you at a distance by calling you Mr. Steele. But from now on, I'm going to use it as often as possible in private so the typewriter is forever replaced by those beautiful blue eyes and incredibly thick black hair and all of the other things about you that I love." He froze, staring at her in shock. "You... you really love me?" His voice was a husky whisper. Laura laughed, that tinkling laugh of pure joy that he enjoyed so much, but heard so infrequently. "Oh yes, my mysterious Mr. Remington Steele, despite all the reasons I shouldn't, you've stolen your way into my heart, and I'm very much in love with you." She looked at him, holding her breath, trembling inside at her open and honest declaration in his arms, hoping that her love for him showed in her eyes and met his gaze directly. His face brightened and he grinned down at her, "Oh Laura, my love, I am very much in love with you too. I found it too hard to say, so I tried to show you in so many ways, tried to find the courage to give you the words you wanted. I don't know why it takes something so terrifying as this for me to find the courage, but I do love you." They kissed again, and when they pulled apart to breathe again, he pulled her into a tight embrace. It reminded him so much of the aftermath when Carl had shot her, and he held her tightly too him sending a silent prayer to God that she was alive and in his arms. He sent a similar prayer up now as he held her against him.

After he had collected his emotions, he spoke over her head, looking out over the water, "I don't understand, Laura, what the devil is going on here? What kind of sick game is someone playing, putting us through a nightmare like this?" Laura shook her head, her arms now wrapped tightly around his waist, "Not a nightmare, Remington, I think it was a..." Mr. Roarke's voice finished her sentence from the end of the path, "Fantasy, Mr. Steele. This has all been part of an elaborate Fantasy." Steele turned to look back at Mr. Roarke, a fiery look of anger blazing in his eyes. "What kind of bloody game is this, Roarke? Who on earth would have a fantasy about torturing us like this?" Mildred's nervous voice came from the path behind Mr. Roarke as she moved to stand beside him, wringing her hands in anxiety, "No, it wasn't like that, Boss, the fantasy wasn't meant to hurt you at all, it was to try and help the two of you admit your feelings for each other at last." Steele and Laura both looked at her in surprise, blinking in confusion. Mildred took a deep breath, "I got a Fantasy for my birthday from one of the girls on my Bowling team, and what I wanted most in the world was to the see the two of you finally get together. You've been dancing around each other for the entire time I've known you, never seeming to make any progress. I could see you had feelings for each other right from the start, and watched it turn into what was obviously love, but you couldn't seem to see it in each other, or admit it to yourselves. So my Fantasy was for you two to admit your feelings for each other. How it happened though, that was Mr. Roarke's idea."

Mr. Roarke continued, "After talking with Ms. Krebs about some of your past cases, and observing your dreams the first night you were here, it was obvious that you both have very strong emotional defenses in place. The only time they seem to come down completely was when yourself or the other person was hurt or in danger. Therefore the only way I could think of for both of you to have your defenses down at the same time was for both of you to believe the other had been lost." Laura pulled back from Steele a little and had a small smile on her face. "There was no sabateur on the island, it was a fake case made up to lure us here, wasn't it?" Mr. Roarke nodded, and Laura looked up at Steele, who smiled down at her and each they said in unison, "San Francisco." They both remembered Steele's attempt to lure Laura away for a romantic weekend by making up a case that took them to San Francisco, but it soon turned into a real case where they were once again dodging bullets and running for their lives. Laura had told him it was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her.

Mr. Roarke continued, "Everything since you arrived on the island has been part of Ms. Krebs' fantasy. Within it, I created your individual fantasies, and disrupted them myself to set the stage for the final fantasy, the movie premiere. Once I had delivered the two of you to the scene and you were separated in the chaos, I split the scene in two. I put an illusion of Laura into the scene with Mr. Steele, and an illusion of Mr. Steele with Ms. Holt, and let it play out that you appeared to see your partner shot before being pulled out of the fantasy. Ms. Holt and Ms. Krebs have been on a different section of the island, across the lagoon since last night, created to feel exactly the same as this side. I used the jacket and the shawl as evidence of what had occurred. Obviously I didn't get things exactly right, as Ms. Holt was able to tell there wasn't real blood on the jacket, and Mr. Steele realized that the illusionary Laura called him Remington. I had no idea that you didn't call him that in private. But the goal was to make you believe that you had lost each other, and give you a chance to speak to each other with your defenses down. Each of you had a ghostly image of the other to speak too, and when you were done, you were able to watch what the other person said through the mirror, which then sent you down here."

Mildred stepped forward, "I didn't want you kids hurt, but we couldn't think of any other way to get past the barriers you kids threw up all the time. I'm sorry, I had the best of intentions, I really did." Steele stepped away from Laura, and up to Mildred, and wrapped her in a tight embrace. Mildred sagged against him in relief, feeling the affection through the embrace. "That's my girl, always looking out for me. You had the best of intentions." Laura walked up and patted Mildred on the back, smiling. "We understand, Mildred, you wanted to help even if it was a hard way to do it, I think it worked out the way you wanted in the end." Mildred backed up and looked back and forth at them, "Yeah?" Steele reached down and took Laura's hand, "Oh yes." Mildred grinned, and clapped her hands together, "OH I'm so happy Boss, Ms. Holt, really happy!" Mr. Roarke came up behind Mildred and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I think we will return to the main part of the island, and let the two of you have some alone. Just take the path back to the main house and you'll find your things have been moved. A car will be sent to pick you up Friday morning for your trip back to Los Angeles. In the meantime, enjoy the time alone together to talk or.... whatever else comes to mind." He winks at them, and offers Mildred his arm. She takes it, gives a wave back at her kids, and they walk back up the path.

Steele and Laura just look at each for awhile, taking in every detail of the other's face, so grateful that they were back together again. Steele pulled her back towards the beach chairs, sat down and settled her down on his lap. "Let's give them time to get away before heading back to the house. For now, I just want to hold you in my arms, Laura love." She laid down half on top of him, half in the chair, her head resting on his shoulder, and they just took comfort in being in each other's arms. She murmured, "Laura love, I think I like the sound of that." He murmured back, "I can't tell you how much I like hearing you call me Remington. I've dreamed about that for years." Her head popped up, "Really?" He nodded solemnly before saying softly, "I've dreamed a lot about you over the years." She put her head back down, feeling a blush building in her cheeks as she whispered back, "Me too. About you, I mean." He chuckled, "I wonder if we've been having some of the same dreams, eh?" He ran a hand up her back to rest on her hip, and she shivered. "Bet we have."

The warmth of the sun and their love for each other soon left them feeling very drowsy and they dozed off wrapped up in each others arms in the beach chair.

Meanwhile, Mr. Roarke and Mildred climbed into the car and headed back for the main part of the island. She kept wiping at her eyes with a handkerchief, "You were right, Mr. Roarke, it did work just as you said." He gave her a weary smile, "I had every confidence that their defenses would drop, it was just up to them whether they had the courage to put their feelings into the right words. They are both strong people, I thought they would, and they didn't disappoint. I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your time here enjoying the entertainment Fantasy Island has to offer. We only have a partial staff operating the main part of the island. I'm going to have to rest, maintaining Fantasies within Fantasies is very draining, and to do three so close together has exhausted me." Mildred nodded, "I'm sure I'll be able to entertain myself just fine. Thank you, Mr. Roarke, you've made me so happy, and I know the kids will be happy too." Mr. Roarke nodded, "Yes, if they can keep communicating once they return to their real lives back in Los Angeles, I think they'll make a very good couple. They are well suited." They pulled up in front of a much larger house, and Mr. Roarke walked around to help Mildred out of the car. "I've already had your things moved to one of the guest rooms here. I'll join you for meals once I've recovered." He showed her to the door to her guest room, kissed the back of her hand, and then went into his office. Tattoo was there sitting behind his desk, "BOSS! You're back early, did everything go as you planned?" Mr. Roarke nodded, "Yes my friend, just as planned. However I need to rest now, so please keep watching over the island for me until Friday." Tattoo nodded, "Sure thing, Boss, no problem!" Mr. Roarke headed up the stairs to his room, and laid down on his bed. The most challenging fantasy of his career had been quite the success. It has also shown him the limits of his abilities, which is always a good thing to know. As he drifted off to sleep, he allowed himself to remember what newly expressed love felt like, and imagined that must be what Mr. Steele and Ms. Holt would be experiencing over the next few days. No better place to explore those new feelings than here... on Fantasy... Island.

**Fin**(Author's Note: Thank you for reading.) 


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